The head of a failed takeover of Everton has asked for a presidential pardon.
Josh Wander led 777 Partners’ consortium which sought to finalise a buyout of the Premier League club from Farhad Moshiri during the 2023/24 campaign.
Wander was regularly allowed to visit Goodison Park as a directors’ box guest for games while his company’s proposed takeover remained perennially in the works.
However the American private investment company, which also held stakes in clubs across Europe and Brazil, were incapable of realising their bid to buy the Blues.
Moshiri broke off exclusivity with 777, whose multi-club empire crumbled within a matter of months, in June 2024 before later agreeing to sell to The Friedkin Group.
The company were forced to sell off their shares in other clubs by creditor A-CAP while Wander is currently facing fraud charges in his native United States.
Miami prosecutors have accused him of falsifying bank statements and other documents in order to inflate 777’s finances in an attempt to attract fresh investors.
Nearly £365 million is said to have been swindled from benefactors by Wander’s alleged actions ahead of his trial which is scheduled to take place in October.
However the 44-year-old is hoping to avoid legal ramifications by requesting that he received a pardon from US president Donald Trump as part of a wider group plea.
According to Bloomberg, Wander’s appeal is included alongside singer R Kelly, who is asking his prison sentence for sex crimes and racketeering to be commuted.