Rudy Kurniawan, Lamborghini
Rudy Kurniawan's Lamborghini will be auctioned on 29 October.
(Image credit: Apple Auctioneering Co)

US police have begun selling off the lavish purchases of imprisoned wine fraudster Rudy Kurniawan in order to help repay millions of dollars that he owes to victims.

Rudy Kurniawan, who made cheap copies of some of the world’s finest and rarest wines in his Los Angeles kitchen, bought a range of luxury items with his profits.

Fast cars were a particular penchant for the wine fraudster, also known as Dr Conti for his in-depth knowledge – and subsequent prolific counterfeiting – of Burgundy’s Domaine de la Romanée Conti wine estate.

US marshals will sell off three Kurniawan’s cars at auction on 29 October, including a 2008 Lamborghini Murciélago sports car with only 938 miles on the clock.

The other cars to be auctioned, in Rancho Cucamonga, California, are a 2008 Land Rover Range Rover with 36,739 miles and a 2011 Mercedes Benz G-Class SUV with 866 miles on the clock. Prices estimates were not given.

Thousands of bottles of Kurniawan’s wine will also be sold off at a later date, the marshalls said. Those are the wines that were authenticated as genuine in Kurniawan’s cellar.

Top fake wine hunters such as Maureen Downey – now the founder of winefraud.com – were recruited to inspect Kurniawan’s cellar.

The sales come as Indonesian born Kurniawan has continued to appeal against his conviction for making and selling counterfeit wine, as well as for fraudulently attempting to obtain a $3m loan. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison last year.

Kurniawan was ordered to repay $28.4m to victims at the time of his sentencing.

Chris Mercer
Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.

He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.

Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.

Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.