UPDATE 1-Former wine collector gets 10 years in prison for counterfeiting
An Indonesian man, once considered one of the world’s top wine collectors but who U.S. prosecutors later called a “kingpin of counterfeit” for selling millions of dollars of fake French wine to the wealthy, was sentenced to 10 years in jail in Manhattan federal court on Thursday. Rudy Kurniawan used his refined palate and luxurious lifestyle to hoodwink some of the world’s most discriminating oenophiles with his “bold, grandiose, unscrupulous, but destined-to-fail con,” U.S. District Judge Richard Berman said in imposing the sentence, along with $28.4 million in restitution to compensate seven unsuspecting buyers. The sentence would serve as a deterrent to other counterfeiters, the judge said. “The public at large needs to know that our food and drink are safe and can trust what’s on the label,” Berman said, “and not some potentially unsafe, homemade witch’s brew.”
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/08/07/usa-crime-wine-idINL2N0QD1WJ20140807
Related Posts
Police arrests three from petro-product smuggling gang
Police on Thursday claimed to have busted a petroleum-product smuggling gang,...
Feds Confiscate 1,200 Counterfeit MLB, Giants Paraphernalia
Federal agents announced Monday that their agency has confiscated about 1,200...
NFA gave legal cover to smugglers
Top officials of the National Food Authority (NFA) gave big-time smugglers legal...
Retailers fear surge in illegal cigarettes
A NORTHSIDE shopkeeper has warned that Ireland could face a dramatic increase in...