Wine counterfeiter Rudy Kurniawan convicted of multimillion-dollar fraud
Indonesian merchant who put fancy labels on 'witch's brew' of drinks convicted of fraud that drove up price of fine wines around the world
He was once the golden boy of the Los Angeles wine scene, but Rudy Kurniawan's life as a high-profile collector of rare vintages has come crashing down, with a jury convicting him of fraud for operating a fake-wine factory and selling counterfeit wines to fund his lavish lifestyle.
Some of the wines Kurniawan sold privately or at auctions fetched more than US$5,000 per bottle. Wine experts said Kurniawan's victims went far beyond a few very rich collectors and that his actions cast a cloud over the entire wine world.
"It's a betrayal of the winemakers and a betrayal of the buyers," said expert Michael Egan, a prosecution witness.
By diluting such wines, Kurniawan muddied the history surrounding them, he said. "Every time you open one, it's one less of a dwindling supply."
Jurors rejected defence attorney Jerome Mooney's argument that Kurniawan, 37, was as much a victim of counterfeiting as any collector and that he had unwittingly passed fakes on to others after buying them legitimately.
Mooney said after the verdict that he would ask for "as little" prison time as possible when Kurniawan is sentenced in April.