777 Partners founder pleads guilty to wire and securities fraud

Joshua Wander, the founder and chief executive of Miami-based investment firm 777 Partners, has pleaded guilty in a US court to wire and securities fraud, the Department of Justice said on 15 October. His sentencing is set for March 2027.

Prosecutors alleged that Wander misled lenders in order to obtain money that went toward securing orders with Boeing. According to the indictment filed in federal court for the Southern District of New York in October 2025, he deceived lenders into providing funds that were then used to pay the manufacturer $10 million in deposits covering 24 737 Max jets.

777 Partners, which began by buying structured settlements and later moved into other sectors including airlines, ran into what the DOJ described as significant cash shortfalls from around 2021. Records show the company ordered 68 737 Max aircraft between 2021 and 2023, and Boeing delivered 38 of them to 777 Partners in that period, according to the manufacturer's published data.

The orders were intended to expand the fleets of Bonza and Flair Airlines. 777 Partners was Bonza's parent company and a part-owner of Flair. Bonza, an Australian carrier, has since ceased operations. The company did not respond to a request for comment on the plea.

US district attorney Jamie McDonald said Wander used 777 Partners to take hundreds of millions of dollars from private creditors and investors, adding that he pledged the same assets twice, pledged assets that did not exist, misrepresented the company's finances and falsified bank statements.

The DOJ said the scheme cost victims $500 million, an amount Wander has agreed to repay under the terms of his plea.