By Chris Lang
On 7 June 2019, James Moore was found guilty of wire fraud and conspiracy for his role in the Bar Works investment scam. Moore was convicted after a one-week trial before the U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman.
Moore was convicted of partnering with Renwick Haddow in soliciting investments in Bar Works. In doing so, he gave misleading and false information, including helping to hide the fact that Haddow was involved.
Haddow pleaded guilty in May 2019.
When he set up Bar Works, Haddow had been disqualified as a director in the UK for eight years. Haddow was also sued by the Financial Conduct Authority for his role in the Capital Alternatives network of scam companies.
Haddow’s extremely dubious record is documented in this post on REDD-Monitor:
Moore’s record
Moore started his career as a sunbed and perfume salesman. In the early 1990s, Moore’s L’Arome company went bust owing £6.5million, after a lawsuit brought by Chanel.
He made his fortune from a company called Inside Track Seminars, registered in the UK in 2002.
The company specialised in buy-to-let investment. People paid £5,000 to take part in seminars about investing in property. Then they paid more to join a property club called Instant Access Properties. This was supposed to find them flats at bargain prices.
But the flats turned out to be overpriced. The rents did not cover the costs of paying the mortgages. Moore became rich, but investors lost their money.
Here’s Moore at one of the Inside Track seminars (from a BBC programme about Moore’s investment schemes):
Inside Track Seminars went into administration in April 2008, with debts of £11 million. Instant Access Properties went into administration in September 2008.
Moore blamed the global financial crisis for the collapse of his firms. Shortly afterwards, he set up another investment company, IAP Global. That company also ran seminars on property investments. IAP Global went into liquidation in 2010, owing £2 million.
Moore is currently serving an 18 month jail sentence in Florida for his involvement in a property investment fraud at the failed Grand Palisades resort west of Disney World. The 900 units in the resort sat empty from 2008 to 2016.
Moore worked with Paul Oxley, a developer in Kissimmee, Florida. Oxley illegally diverted the money to marketing and personal expenses. Then he declared himself bankrupt and fled the U.S. leaving US$238 million worth of debts. UK investors handed over about US$145 million as deposits via Instant Access Properties.
Moore claimed to know nothing about Oxley’s fraud until 2009, when Oxley tried to make him sign a letter saying that the expenses had to be repaid. Moore didn’t sign. But he also didn’t tell the authorities about Oxley’s fraud.
He pleaded guilty to misprision, which is the concealing of a felony.
“The Jonathan issue”
To hide his involvement in Bar Works, Haddow created “Jonathan Black”. He borrowed a photograph from someone called Frank Knight to create a LinkedIn page for Black. And he claimed that Black’s experience included, “finance director/financial controller of two chains of Bars in the UK (Regent Inns PLC – market value US$400m)”
Moore and Haddow recruited agents to sell investments in Bar Works. They did not tell the agents about Haddow’s involvement.
For example, according to the Legal Complaint against James Moore, in February 2016, Moore sent an email to a potential agent aiming to persuade the agent to sell investments in Bar Works.
In the email, Moore described Black as, “the primary originator of barworks prior to us becoming involved (at the formation stage) with this small and tight team who were previously responsible for successful rollout of walkabout bars in uk.”
In March 2016, the agent wrote back to Moore asking for a meeting with Jonathan Black in New York. Moore forwarded the agent’s email to Haddow, with the comment, “How do we feel we can overcome the Jonathan issue … ?? ‘He’s on honeymoon … !?!?'”
Haddow replied that the agent could meet his wife and another Bar Works sales agent, who will “keep them occupied”.
Moore replied,
Ok. Would be great to find a way to get you involved but equally understand your reticence[.] We will need a story as to why Jonathon [sic] isn’t there.
Moore and Haddow
In August 2016, Moore was interviewed by staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission. During that interview, Moore said that he first met Haddow in 2010 or 2011. Moore later learned about Haddow’s Capital Alternatives investment scam.
In mid-2015, Moore suggested that Haddow’s network of companies could sell Moore’s property based investments. By this time though, the Capital Alternatives scam was unravelling.
Later in 2015, Haddow suggested that Moore could join him in the Bar Works scam. Moore brought in his own company (referred to as Agent Company-1 in the Legal Complaint).
On 21 September 2015, Moore sent an email to the Agent Company-1’s chief operating officer:
Can we make a plan to get some marketing started for this ASAP? I think with the incredible materials they have … we can answer any and all questions anyone may have. All we need now is … Wait for it … Leads!”
Agent Company-1’s chief operating officer asked for specific documentation and raised a concern about the need for “some sort of track record from the developer [Bar Works] of what they have done previously.”
Moore forwarded the email to Haddow, who replied, “Bullshit. They need to overcome this one. It won’t even be an issue.”
According to the Legal Complaint,
MOORE understood from Haddow that the master agent would be paid a total of 30% of the investments brought in by agents underneath that master agent, and that MOORE would be paid an additional significant commission on the balance of the remaining money.
Haddow did not pay Moore as much as he believed he was owed and by August 2016, Haddow and Moore had fallen out. In total, Moore and his wife received more than US$1.4 million from Bar Works bank accounts controlled by Haddow.
Without prejudice – Removal request
In February 2017, Moore’s name appeared in a comment on REDD-Monitor:
The other key figure involved is Jim Moore of Inside Track fame. What a duo, Haddow and Moore in Spain selling a product that has more holes in it than my winter hat!
Dozens more comments featuring Moore followed.
On 15 June 2017, Moore sent the following email to REDD-Monitor. The comments that upset Moore are available here and here.
The emails show how comfortable Moore is with lying. “I am not in business with Renwick Haddow, nor have I ever been,” he wrote.
From: James B Moore
Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2017
Subject: Without prejudice – Removal request.
To: REDD-MonitorHello Chris
We’ve never met, but I always read your site.
Unfortunately it seems to have “lost its way” from its original remit and become more of a ‘scam alert central” – maybe that will serve a worthwhile purpose in itself.
I don’t want to resort to threats of lawyers at this stage but I DO need your help please.
Immediately.
I am very concerned by a pattern of posts on your site that I have noticed recently that target me personally, and defame me.
In short they are damaging and are untrue.
It’s important that you remove these posts immediately please.
I don’t need an apology at this stage, just responsible policing by you of your site when it comes to anything mentioning me.
Feel free to fact check with me for accuracy if you wish but I won’t allow defamation to go unchecked on an ongoing basis as i am sure you wouldn’t yourself.
Thanks in advance of your assistance – here goes:-
One such comment made on June 10th 2017 by “Marksie” states “He took this to a known crook called Jim Moore who owned and ran UPI in Spain. UPI was an agent company. It promoted dodgy schemes”
I also need the “true identity” of ‘marks” if you are able to provide it (although I suspect it is masked by a VPN etc)
The basis of my complaint is:-
1) The comments defame me as I am not a known crook – I have never been convicted of any criminal offense.
2) I do not, and have not ever, owned UPI.
3) “OurSpace was established by a known crook” – implies once again that I am a crook.
A second post, from “Scotty” on June 4th is as follows:-
“@ Marksie – it seems to have all the hallmarks of a copy doesn’t it. I notice one of the directors was appointed and resigned the same day… is that usual?
I think to be honest when you look into the Ourspace (spin off) BW connection, you will find that all roads lead back to a certain Jim Moore (of Inside Track ‘fame’), UPI (the master agent who switched allegiance from BW to Ourspace and have now since Moores arrest moved on again) and of course a certain Haddow character.From my investigations, I would suggest that Haddow was not or is not involved in Ourspace but more that Ourspace was borne out of a break of trust/holding back of commissions/confrontation between UPI and BW….. sound familiar????!!?
This company mentioned could be a spin off of both, one of or neither I guess.”
Clear implication that I am involved with someone who has been banned as a director and has regulatory problems.
I am not in business with Renwick Haddow, nor have I ever been.
Please let me know when you have removed the offending material. Hopefully you will be able to be more pro active if defamatory posts about me are made on your site in future.
Thank you
Jim Moore
Nine days later, Moore sent another email, with a copy of his previous email cut and pasted at the end:
From: James B Moore
Date: Sat, 25 Jun 2017
Subject: Defamatory material – 2nd request for removal
To: Chris LangHi Chris
I emailed you on June 15th regarding a defamatory posting on your “Redd Monitor” website.
I would appreciate if you would now either comply with my request for removal as the post clearly breeches both the spirit and word of your own published terms of service.
The post is untrue, and it is defamatory and damaging to me. It also constitutes what I consider to be a “personal attack” – whoever “@Marksie” is, I should be allowed to pursue them personally and privately for defaming me in this way and as such ask that you reveal their true identity to me, as is the one made by “@Scotty” that I also refer to in my previous email.
I would appreciate prompt removal by you now please, along with confirmation when you have done so. Alternatively, please provide me with details of where my lawyers can serve proceedings on @Marksie, along with their true identity.
hi Chris, thanks for all you good work,
is Moore serving 18 months for barworks, have I got this right?
Interesting to note on 29th May 2019 the prosecutors filed a motion to introduce OurSpace evidence. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/8050698/united-states-v-moore/
@M – Thanks for this. As I wrote in the post, “Moore is currently serving an 18 month jail sentence in Florida for his involvement in a property investment fraud at the failed Grand Palisades resort west of Disney World.” In that case he was found guilty of concealing, or failing to report, a felony. So that’s a completely different case.
For Bar Works, Moore has been found guilty of wire fraud and conspiracy. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The actual sentence will be given by the judge.
Moore’s sentencing is set for 16 September 2019, 10:00 a.m. before Judge Richard M. Berman (just above entry 55 on the court docket).
@Chris, @Marksie, any hope that following these convictions, SEC will one day refund in part or in full investors’ funds in BarWorks?
@Victor, every conviction in this case enables more cash to be recovered. Moore and his wife were paid $1.4m from Bar Works so it seems likely that the US authorities will seek to recover that money to boost the investors’ pot. The case against Savraj Gata-Aura aka Sam Aura will most likely result in a conviction so that should add a few more dollars to the pot. We do not know if any further charges will be brought against other parties. It seems incredible that Haddow’s wife has escaped prosecution. Perhaps it was a condition of Haddow providing assistance to the prosecutors that they leave his wife out of any prosecutions.
The question is how many people knew that Black was really Haddow ? Haddow’s wife, his sister Lorna Moore who ran the Bar Works offshoot called Podworks, Keith Millhench and Franklin Kinard undoubtedly knew. Also Paul Quade of City Road Communications in London may well have been aware. His company provided PR services to Bar Works Inc having previously been the PR firm for Haddow’s Capital Alternatives scams in the UK. Redd-monitor already has a blog on Paul Quade and City Road Communications.
Almost every one of the admin staff must have known that Jonathan Black did not exist, but does that make them accomplices in the fraud ? That’s one for the lawyers.
Co-conspirator of Ponzi scammer Renwick Haddow wants new trial
By Maria Nikolova, Finance Feeds, 21 June 2019
James Moore, a co-conspirator of Ponzi scammer Renwick Haddow, is seeking a new trial. Earlier this month, Moore was convicted at trial of wire fraud and conspiracy for engaging in a scheme to defraud investors by making misrepresentations about the management and operations of Bar Works Inc.
As per documents filed on June 20, 2019, Moore moves the New York Southern District Court, pursuant to Rule 33 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, for a new trial. Rule 33(a) provides that upon the defendant’s motion, the court may vacate any judgment and grant a new trial if the interest of justice requires.
NY Judge denies release request by co-conspirator of Ponzi scammer Renwick Haddow
By Maria Nikolova, Finance Feeds, 24 June 2019
Judge Richard M. Berman of the New York Southern District Court has earlier today denied an application by James Moore, one of the co-conspirators of Ponzi scammer Renwick Haddow, for immediate release. Earlier in June, Moore was convicted at trial of wire fraud and conspiracy for engaging in a scheme to defraud investors by making misrepresentations about the management and operations of Bar Works Inc.
It’s worth reading James Moore’s letter to Judge Berman. It’s available here.
Here are a few samples:
David Garvin has written to Judge Berman asking for permission to withdraw as counsel to Moore. Berman replied, “The court intends to relieve Mr. Garvin but it’s my practice to do so when new counsel is retained.”
US Govt opposes attempt by co-conspirator of Ponzi scammer Renwick Haddow to secure new trial
By Maria Nikolova, FinanceFeeds, 18 July 2019
About a month after James Moore, a co-conspirator of Ponzi scammer Renwick Haddow, filed his motion for a new trial with the New York Southern District Court, the Government has made clear its opposition to the defendant’s arguments.
In a document filed with the Court on July 18, 2019, and seen by FinanceFeeds, the Government says Moore’s motion should be denied in its entirety.
Who your agent in the UK,
@Chris, @Marksie, any updates on BarWorks and Maddows’ case? Any hope on possible recovery of our investments in BarWorks?
@Victor – The Bar Works updates are in the comments following this post: Bar Works: The return of Renwick Haddow. Scroll down to the end of the page for the latest news.
SEC to seek $1.5m in disgorgement from co-conspirator of Ponzi scammer Renwick Haddow
By Maria Nikolova, FinanceFeeds, 27 November 2019
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has provided clarity on its course of action in the lawsuit targeting James Moore, a co-conspirator of Ponzi scammer Renwick Haddow.
A letter filed with the New York Southern District Court on November 26, 2019, includes the SEC’s computation of damages in the case against Moore. The SEC estimates that Moore and Universal Voicetech, Inc. helped to raise over $5 million from approximately 100 investors. Moore received at least $1.5 million in commissions. The Commission requests this latter amount in disgorgement, plus prejudgment interest and civil penalties.
What has happened to James Moore, has he been sentenced yet? Whereabouts is he in jail?
@chris cooke – You can see the court documents here.
As far as I can tell Moore has not yet been sentenced. A conference was held on 26 August 2019 before Judge Richard M. Berman. The transcript of that conference is due to be released on 23 December 2019.
Moore is still serving his 18 month sentence in Florida. He was transferred to the Federal
Medical Center in Devens, Massachusetts for a psychological examination. The forensic psychiatrist who carried out Moore’s examination will complete his report in late December. According to a letter dated 25 November 2019, (court document number 98) Moore “has been returned to the New York City area”.
Another conference was scheduled for 2 December 2019, but has been postponed until 7 January 2020 (see court document number 101).
Surely Moore has served his initial 18 month sentence for the Disney case by now hasn’t he? Doesn’t seem to show any sentencing for Renwick Haddow case as yet.
How would I confirm that the SEC has a record of my investment in Barworks for when they hopefully find some of the $millions (although I suspect my agent in the UK never invested it……..)?
Is Bar Works loss tax deductible?
Any news on jim moore
Can we get an update on Jim Moore
@James Moore and @Peter cook – The court documents are available here.
A conference took place on 24 June 2020. However, the transcript of the conference is not yet available. Here’s the message on the New York Southern District Court website:
On 27 July 2020, the co-founder of Bar Works, Savraj Gata-Aura, was sentenced to four years in prison. A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, includes this statement about James Moore:
What is James Moore’s sentence for New York Ponzi scheme conviction?
@Christian C Rubitschon – The court documents are available here.
The transcript of the most recent conference about Moore is here (dated 3 August 2020).
Since then, proposed conferences were postponed. A conference took place (as far as I can tell) on 10 February 2021, but the most recent court document is dated 18 March 2021 and is sealed.
i found on court pacer site that jim moore has been sentenced on 17 nov, but cannot access information, anyone know the outcome or where to find it?
@chris – Here’s a quick update. On 22 October 2021, Law 360 reported that “Federal prosecutors asked a New York federal judge to sentence a convicted British fraudster [i.e. James Moore] to at least 10 years in prison and pay $57 million in restitution for his role in a $50 million scheme to bolster the Bar Works startup.”
A sentencing conference took place on 9 November 2021 (this was postponed from the 1 November 2021).
On 12 November 2021, the Federal Prosecutor (the Assistant United States Attorney) wrote to the judge. You can read that letter here.
On 17 November 2021, Moore’s lawyers (Tarter Krinsky & Drogin) wrote to the judge. You can read that letter here.
Thanks for the letter, can anyone sum this up please, it’s a bit complicated
@T – I’m not a legal expert, but my take on these two letters is that the prosecutors are asking for a longer sentence than Savraj Gata-Aura received for his role in Bar Works. Moore’s lawyers are arguing that Moore’s sentence should be shorter than the prosecutors are asking for. (Savraj Gata-Aura was sentenced to four years.)
James Moore was sentenced yesterday to more than 11 years in prison:
Post coming soon on REDD-Monitor…
Here’s my post about Moore’s sentence: