Wine counterfeiter facing 11 years in prison
August 7, 2014
A California seller of vintage wines is facing 11 years in prison after he was convicted of making as much as $20 million selling bogus bottles of wine. [CBS]
Rudy Kurniawan, who was convicted of wire and mail fraud in December, filled already used wine bottles with cheap wine, created a new label and sold his creations as a high-priced bottles of vintage wine. For example, Kurniawan auctioned off a phony double-magnum of 1947 Chateau Petrus for $30,000.
Another victim of Kurniawan’s fraud, a New York bank, is on the hook for several million in a loan they provided Kurniawan who used his bogus vintage wine collection as collateral
A federal judge is slated to sentence Kurniawan on Thursday. Prosecutors are asking for a sentence of at least 11 years while his defense attorney is saying the two years he has already spent in jail is enough.
The comments below represent the opinion of the writer and do not represent the views or policies of CalCoastNews.com. Please address the Policies, events and arguments, not the person. Constructive debate is good; mockery, taunting, and name calling is not. Comment Guidelines