**The head of Everton’s former takeover suitors has been convicted of fraud.**
Josh Wander led 777 Partners’ bid to ascend to power on Merseyside after striking an agreement with then majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri in September 2023.
Wander and his business associates were regular guests in the directors’ box at Goodison Park while their bid underwent various regulatory checks for approval.
But [the Miami-based group’s attempt to buy the Blues collapsed](https://www.clickliverpool.com/sport/everton-fc/53124-everton-assessing-all-options-after-777-partners-failure-farhad-moshiri/) along with a global multi-club network which included Sevilla, Hertha Berlin and Vasco da Gama.
Wander was [indicted in October 2025 on charges of allegedly using fake documents to inflate 777’s finances](https://www.clickliverpool.com/sport/everton-fc/60941-failed-everton-buyer-josh-wander-charged-with-fraud/) to generate over $500 million in investment.
The 45-year-old has now pleaded guilty to wire fraud and securities fraud, which has the potential to carry a 20-year prison sentence for each charge whcih he faces.
Sentencing will be passed on Wander’s case in March next year.
Jamie McDonald, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said: “As he has now admitted, Josh Wander used his company, 777 Partners, to steal hundreds of millions of dollars from private creditors and investors.
“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.
“He then put those funds to uses that his lenders never permitted, including footing the bill for 777’s collection of professional soccer teams.
“Whether perpetrated in the private or public markets, such brazen conduct undermines the integrity of our financial system and will not be tolerated.”