Investment fraudster used knowledge of fine wine to con friends The Old Bailey heard, however, that Milton had not invested the cash in fine wines, but had instead used it himself, meaning he had nothing to give his investors. Milton left a note confessing his crime with his wife before fleeing to France, but was caught when he returned to the UK last year. He pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and obtaining a money order by deception and was jailed for three years. Milton previously wrote how wine was an "excellent investment," telling various publications: "If you do get it wrong, unlike other investments, at least you can drown your sorrows." Detective Constable Elliot Toms of the Met's fraud squad said: "Here is a man whose greed saw him trick supposed friends out of thousands of pounds, and whose cowardice saw him flee this jurisdiction when confronted by them. Milton's method is a classic example of how investment fraud is undertaken. He had a company name, he used his knowledge of the product he peddled, and he seemed an amiable, trustworthy person. But this was all a ruse to part unsuspecting people from their money. His sentence is well deserved. Unfortunately he is not the only person running a scam like this, and I urge anyone thinking of investing to seek independent legal advice before committing themselves. A confiscation hearing against Milton will take place in January next year.