Wine fraud

British duo charged with duping US wine investors in $99m Ponzi scheme

Two British men have been charged with wire fraud and money laundering after allegedly conning US wine investors out of $99.4 million in a Ponzi scheme...

Premier Cru fraud: Owner John Fox imprisoned for six years

Lengthy sentence for wine Ponzi scheme operator...

Banned director admits 300,000 pound wine fraud

Jonothan Piper to be sentenced next month...

Premier Cru owner pleads guilty to $45 million fraud

John Fox, the owner of one Californian's biggest retailers Premier Cru has turned himself in and admitted to scamming customers out over $45 million...

Fraud probe finds Spanish wine passed off as French

French grower fined after fraud investigation...

Westminster Fine Wines Ltd: Director banned for 12 years

The sole director and shareholder of Westminster Fine Wines Ltd has been banned from acting as a UK director...

'Authentic' Rudy Kurniawan wines up for auction

Director of fake wine investment firm banned

Wine fraudster Rudy Kurniawan's Lamborghini up for auction

Billionaire Bill Koch wins appeal over fake wine

Wine fraud: banned director jailed after million pound con

Wine fraud: Ex-director guilty of million pound con

Fraudsters target victims of collapsed wine investment firm

Consumers owed money and wine by collapsed European Fine Wines Ltd in the UK have been targeted by fraudsters posing as both the company’s directors and its liquidator, while London's High Court has ordered another wine investment group to be wound up.

Are higher fine wine prices motivating thieves?

A series of high-profile burglaries in the past two years suggest that wine cellars have joined banks, art galleries and jewellery shops at the top of the criminal underworld's hit list.

Rudy Kurniawan's private cellar could help to repay victims

A year since Rudy Kurniawan was convicted for mass wine fraud in the US, experts are preparing to enter his private cellar to see if wines can be sold to compensate victims owed nearly $30m.

Swiss winemaker Giroud cleared of wine fraud

Swiss winemaker Dominique Giroud has been cleared of illegally topping up tens of thousands of bottles of AOC St Saphorin with unapproved wine.

UK wine merchant rejects suspect 1947 Burgundy

Corney & Barrow has raised the alarm after being offered suspicious bottles of a rare Burgundy wine that has previously fetched thousands of pounds at auction.

Has Rudy Kurniawan damaged trust in the fine wine market?

See both sides of the debate as to whether the recent case and subsequent jailing of wine fraudster Rudy Kurniawan has damaged trust in the fine wine market, as featured as the 'burning question' in the Decanter October 2014 issue...

Swiss winemaker Giroud convicted of tax fraud

Swiss winemaker Dominique Giroud has been convicted of tax fraud, but his spokesperson said the verdict 'does not come as a surprise'.

Wine fugitive wanted on embezzlement charges found in Mexico

A fugitive wanted on charges of embezzling close to $1m at the California wine company that he used to work for has been found in Mexico and deported back to the US.

Label tampering obscures fine wine provenance, merchants warn

Several leading UK wine merchants have said that they are regularly offered fine wines that have had so-called 'strip labels' removed, hiding their true provenance and potentially leading to consumers overpaying, writes Jim Budd in the latest issue of Decanter magazine.

Kurniawan lawyers keen to avoid trial delay

Lawyers representing alleged wine fraudster Rudy Kurniawan are due in court to argue for him to be examined by psychiatrists.

eBay defends anti-fraud plan over wine label concerns

Online auction house eBay has defended its anti-fraud measures after concerns were raised in a recent court case about the availability of fake wine labels on the site.

Police raids reveal suspected DRC wine fraud ring

A Europe-wide police operation has uncovered a suspected organised crime network believed to be responsible for selling up to EUR2m-worth (US$2.7m) of fake Domaine de la Romanee-Conti wine.

Clampdown planned as UK loses millions to wine fraud

UK officials are considering tougher rules for drinks wholesalers as figures suggest the government is losing hundreds of millions of pounds annually via illicit wine sales.

Fraudsters found guilty in £4.5m Nouveau/Finbow wine trial

Daniel Snelling, who ran Nouveau World Wines Ltd and Finbow Wines Ltd, has been found guilty of four counts of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering after a two month trial.

Wine Forger's Handbook warns of dangers of fake wines

A new eBook warning of the dangers of counterfeit wines has just been published online.

Counterfeit wines: scandal of the century

It’s been a year since Rudy Kurniawan was arrested for allegedly faking rare Burgundy and Bordeaux bottles and selling them at auction for millions of pounds. Mike Steinberger delves deeper into the case and looks at the impact the fraud has had on producers, collectors and wine lovers.

Bill Koch wins case against Eric Greenberg

After years of litigation, multiple failed cases and endless court appearances, billionaire William Koch has claimed the first scalp in his war on what he calls ‘wine fakers’.

1855.com increasingly embattled as protesters gather

The future of French internet wine company 1855.com is looking increasingly perilous as its detractors become more and more vociferous.