KURNIAWAN IS OFF TO JAIL

The trial of Rudy Kurniawan has finally come to an end. Once celebrated in the world of fine wines, the 37-year-old international dealer has been jailed for 1O years for fraud after selling fake vintages and cheating connoisseurs out of tens of millions of dollars. The Indonesian-born businessman had been considered one of the top wine collectors in the world, becoming famed for his palate and ability to identify fine wines. But it emerged he had been blending the contents of cheap bottles in the kitchen of the home he shared with his mother. He then placed the blends in old bottles, stuck fake labels on them and claimed they were rare vintages, selling them for vast sums. While selling the fake wines he lived a luxury lifestyle – driving expensive cars and collecting modern art. He was arrested by the FBI after trying to sell 78 fake bottles of wines for around $7OO,OOO at an auction in London in 2O12. Other experts spotted mistakes including missing French accents on labels. Prosecutors said Kurniawan had seven main victims, one of whom was the billionaire businessman and financier William Koch, who gave evidence in the trial. A judge in New York ordered Kurniawan to forfeit $2O million and pay $28.4 million in restitution to his victims. US District Judge Richard M. Berman said: “The public at large needs to know our food and drinks are safe and not some potentially unsafe homemade witch’s brew.”