Cash recovered from ex-Nasa scientist turned scammer
Summary
John Burford, a former NASA scientist, was sentenced to two years in prison for defrauding about 100 investors of more than £1 million through illegal investment schemes. Authorities have recovered and ordered him to repay nearly £656,000, with most of the stolen money expected to be returned to the victims.Key Facts
- John Burford admitted to defrauding over 100 investors from 2016 to 2021.
- He ran investment schemes through his company Financial Trading Strategies without proper authorization.
- Burford earned more than £1 million from these illegal activities but only traded £760,000, losing most of it.
- Much of the money was used to buy a house and support his lifestyle.
- The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) obtained a court order to recover £655,951.40 from Burford.
- Including previous repayments, about 99% of the stolen money will be returned to the investors.
- Burford holds a PhD in physics and worked on NASA’s manned Mars exploration team before moving into finance.
- He was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court in 2025 and ordered to pay back the recovered funds.
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