Wine counterfeiter Rudy Kurniawan sentenced to 10 years in prison

Wine counterfeiter Rudy Kurniawan has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of defrauding his customers out of millions of dollars.

In addition, the New York judge ordered him to pay $48.4m in compensation.

wine La Tache
Kurniawan ran his scam between 2004 and 2012

Kurniawan, 37, carried out the confidence trick between 2004 and 2012. One of his methods was to fill empty bottles that had once contained high-end wine with cheaper plonk, which he sold for thousands at auction.

The number of bottles Kurniawan sold remains unknown as very few buyers have come forward, although he is estimated to have passed off 12,000 in 2006 alone - meaning his counterfeits potentially make up a significant portion of the global market.

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