Prosecutor: Calif. wine collector made millions serving up fraud with rare spirits claim

NEW YORK, N.Y. – A prosecutor has told a New York jury that a California wine collector put on a “magic show” to fool aficionados into thinking he had access to the world’s rarest bottles.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Facciponti made the statement during his closing argument Tuesday at the criminal trial of Rudy Kurniawan.

The prosecution says Kurniawan made millions of dollars from 2004 to 2012 by manufacturing fake vintage wine in his California kitchen.

The Indonesian-born defendant was arrested last year. He’s accused of selling more than $1.3 million worth of counterfeit bottles to other wealthy collectors.

The prosecutor says the key ingredients were “smoke and mirrors.”

Defence attorney Jerome Mooney has portrayed his client as a scapegoat. The defendant has pleaded not guilty.