Investors defrauded of more than £1 million by a former Nasa scientist will recover nearly all of their losses. John Burford, 86, was sentenced to two years in prison in 2025 after admitting to defrauding 100 investors through his firm, Financial Trading Strategies, between 2016 and 2021.
At a hearing at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, Burford was ordered to pay £655,951.40 following a confiscation order obtained by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA stated that Westminster Magistrates' Court heard Burford generated over £1 million through his illegal investment schemes, though he only traded £760,000, most of which was lost.
Substantial sums from investors were used to purchase a house, a court heard in June 2025. Burford repeatedly misled investors about fund performance, concealed losses, and used their money for personal gain, according to the regulator.
The payout ordered represents the total value of assets the court determined could be recovered and returned directly to victims. Combined with previous payments, an estimated 99% of the money originally invested by approximately 70 known victims is expected to be returned.
Steve Smart, executive director of enforcement and market oversight at the FCA, commented that Burford "scammed investors to fund his own lavish lifestyle." He added, "Clawing back stolen money from fraudsters and returning it to victims sends a clear message that crime doesn't pay."
Burford, who holds a PhD in physics from the University of Toronto, previously worked for Nasa as part of its manned Mars exploration team in Washington D.C. before transitioning to finance, according to his author biography on a publisher's website.