The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has secured a two-year prison sentence for John Burford after prosecuting him for a £1 million investment fraud carried out through Financial Trading Strategies Limited. Between 2016 and 2021, Burford defrauded over 100 investors by promoting trade alerts and investment opportunities in three self-named funds without FCA authorisation, while misleading investors about performance, concealing losses and diverting client money to buy property and fund his lifestyle. Burford, the firm’s sole director, attracted investors via self-published articles, blogs and a book promoting his trading credentials. He pleaded guilty to four offences, receiving two years’ immediate imprisonment for fraud by false representation and one year for each of three Financial Services and Markets Act offences, all to run concurrently. The FCA is pursuing confiscation proceedings to strip Burford of the proceeds of his crimes and compensate victims, and has asked affected investors who have not been contacted by the FCA to come forward.
Financial Conduct Authority 2025-12-05
Financial Conduct Authority secures two-year prison sentence for John Burford over £1 million unauthorised investment fraud
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) secured a two-year prison sentence for John Burford for a £1 million investment fraud through Financial Trading Strategies Limited. Burford defrauded over 100 investors by promoting unauthorised trade alerts and investment opportunities, misleading them about performance, and diverting funds for personal use. The FCA is pursuing confiscation proceedings to recover proceeds and compensate victims.