Joshua Wander
Introduction
Joshua Wander, 45, of Florida, is the co-founder and former CEO of 777 Partners, a Miami-based private investment firm. On October 15, 2026, he pleaded guilty before United States District Judge J. Paul Oetken in the Southern District of New York to wire fraud and securities fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud 777 Partners’ lenders and investors of more than $500 million. U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald announced the plea. As part of his plea, Wander agreed to forfeit at least $500,000,000 in proceeds from the scheme.
Background Information
777 Partners’ initial and primary business model was to underwrite and finance structured settlements. Over time, as alleged in the indictment and other public filings, Wander began investing capital in new sectors, including airlines and professional sports teams. The firm lacked the funds to pay for these new acquisitions, and Wander directed that restricted funds from 777 Partners’ lenders in its structured settlement business be used to cover the firm’s acquisitions and expenses.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Convicted — guilty plea. Wander pleaded guilty before Judge J. Paul Oetken to wire fraud and securities fraud, agreed to forfeit at least $500 million, and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 1, 2027.
To steal funds from lenders, prosecutors allege, Wander pledged hundreds of millions of dollars of structured settlement assets that 777 Partners had never purchased or had previously pledged to other lenders. He also pledged fictitious assets, and to conceal the fraud he directed employees to digitally alter bank account statements to reflect millions of dollars in cash on hand that the firm did not have. In 2021 and 2022, he raised more than $200 million in outside investments in 777 Partners through the sale of preferred equity interests in the firm and an affiliated entity, misrepresenting the financial condition of the firm in soliciting those investments.
In March 2022, Wander solicited a $20 million loan from a lender, providing dozens of doctored bank account statements to conceal that he had misappropriated the funds, spending millions of dollars of options trades. By March 2023 the scheme began to unravel: one of the firm’s lenders confronted Wander about allegations of double-pledged assets, and he falsely claimed there had been an error caused by 777 Partners’ antiquated computer system. A few days later, he again falsely assured the lender, among other things, that the double-pledging had been inadvertent. In 2024, Wander resigned as CEO.
Public Reaction and Consequences
U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said that “Josh Wander used his company, 777 Partners, to steal hundreds of millions of dollars from private creditors and investors,” and that “Wander double-pledged assets, pledged fictitious assets, lied about the financial condition of his company, and even falsified bank statements, all to gain access to his victims’ funds.” McDonald added, “He then put those funds to uses that his lenders never permitted, including footing the bill for 777’s collection of professional soccer teams,” and said such brazen conduct “undermines the integrity of our financial system and will not be tolerated.” McDonald praised the work of the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations and expressed appreciation for the assistance of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Current Status
Wander pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and securities fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Oetken on March 1, 2027, and has agreed to forfeit at least $500,000,000 in proceeds of the scheme. The release notes that the maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and provided for informational purposes only, as any sentencing will be determined by the judge. The case is being handled by the office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas S. Burnett, Marguerite B. Colson, Sarah Mortazavi, and Alexandra N. Rothman in charge of the prosecution.
Impact on Their Career/Life
The founder who resigned as CEO in 2024, as the double-pledging allegations surfaced and his assurances to lenders proved false, now stands convicted of defrauding the creditors and investors who financed his firm’s expansion into airlines and professional soccer. The guilty plea and the forfeiture agreement of at least $500 million — matching the total prosecutors say was taken from victims — remove whatever remained of the separation between Wander and the firm he co-founded, and his sentencing on March 1, 2027 will set the prison term against statutory maximums of 20 years per count.
Sources
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, “Founder and Former CEO of 777 Partners Pleads Guilty to $500 Million Fraud Scheme”, October 15, 2026 — source