1
00:00:02,001 --> 00:00:07,107
♪♪

2
00:00:07,107 --> 00:00:10,377
Goldberg: There's something
kind of universal about a con.

3
00:00:10,377 --> 00:00:12,045
Troy:
Too much of a good thing

4
00:00:12,045 --> 00:00:13,480
usually is
too much of a good thing.

5
00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:15,148
Goldberg:
You want rich people's money,

6
00:00:15,148 --> 00:00:17,817
you got to figure out
what rich people want.

7
00:00:17,817 --> 00:00:20,487
♪ The world is mine,
baby, I own it ♪

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00:00:20,487 --> 00:00:22,422
Hernandez: We're talking
about bottles of wine

9
00:00:22,422 --> 00:00:25,525
that are equivalent sometimes
to a person's annual salary.

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Goldberg: Even if the closest
you've gotten to wine

11
00:00:27,460 --> 00:00:29,996
is a box of Chardonnay
from Costco,

12
00:00:29,996 --> 00:00:32,332
you're about to get
a real look inside

13
00:00:32,332 --> 00:00:34,534
a multi‐million dollar scam.

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00:00:34,534 --> 00:00:38,438
Mosley: If you've never tasted
a wine that is 80 years old,

15
00:00:38,438 --> 00:00:41,241
then how do you know what
an 80‐year‐old wine tastes like?

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00:00:41,241 --> 00:00:44,611
Goldberg: Hey, just watch this
billionaire, a wine detective,

17
00:00:44,611 --> 00:00:47,847
and the FBI all get together
to put a cork in it.

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00:00:47,847 --> 00:00:48,882
[ Cork pops ]

19
00:00:48,882 --> 00:00:50,617
It's kind of nuts.

20
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Goldberg:
How do Thomas Jefferson

21
00:00:51,785 --> 00:00:54,120
and Donald Trump figure in?

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00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:58,625
Well, take a seat, top off
your glass of 2‐buck Chuck,

23
00:00:58,625 --> 00:01:00,527
because you're gonna
like this one.

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00:01:00,527 --> 00:01:02,662
♪♪

25
00:01:02,662 --> 00:01:08,435
♪♪

26
00:01:08,435 --> 00:01:11,638
Auctioneer: $16,000 way back,
$16,000. $18,000 in front.

27
00:01:11,638 --> 00:01:14,073
At $18,000, the bid's
near me at $18,000.

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00:01:14,073 --> 00:01:15,141
$20,000 if you want to go on.

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Mosley:
Imagine getting dressed up,

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00:01:17,010 --> 00:01:19,345
going into a room
full of people,

31
00:01:19,345 --> 00:01:23,616
and holding up a little paddle
to buy some old alcohol.

32
00:01:23,616 --> 00:01:25,018
It's wild.

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00:01:25,018 --> 00:01:28,221
$4,000 is bid in the room.
$4,200 is next.

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Goldberg: Welcome
to wine's Mount Olympus,

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the nectar of the gods,

36
00:01:32,058 --> 00:01:34,427
where the cost
of a single bottle

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can set you back six figures.

38
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Auctioneer #2: Paddle 9.
$85,000 now. An $85,000 bid.

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Goldberg: These folks aren't
just drinkers,

40
00:01:41,367 --> 00:01:42,769
they're collectors,

41
00:01:42,769 --> 00:01:46,306
and they're willing
to fork it over.

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Auctioneer #2:
It's going here at $100,000.

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00:01:49,576 --> 00:01:51,511
[ Cheers and applause ]

44
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McInerney: There's a whole lot
of [bleep] and competition

45
00:01:54,914 --> 00:01:59,018
and pretentiousness
that goes along with this world.

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Photographer: Hey, Jay,
over here, one more.

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Goldberg:
Jay McInerney's novels,

48
00:02:02,956 --> 00:02:04,657
like "Bright Lights, Big City,"

49
00:02:04,657 --> 00:02:07,694
are all about the world
of privilege.

50
00:02:07,694 --> 00:02:10,396
Auctioneer #3: At $30,000,
$35,000 right here now.

51
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McInerney: People become
desperate to have a rare bottle

52
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that their neighbor can't find
or can't afford.

53
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Sold! $45,000.
Paddle 15, thank you.

54
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It's a bit of an addiction.

55
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♪♪

56
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Goldberg: In the early 2000s,

57
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a young upstart starts
showing up at the auctions,

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an upstart with a big wallet.

59
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I brought some wines
for us to drink.

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Can you help?

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Goldberg: Wine's new wonder boy,
Rudy Kurniawan.

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♪♪

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00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:49,536
Downey: So the first time
that I remember meeting Rudy,

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he was just a geeky,
you know, interested kid,

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but very quickly, he started
showing up at dinners

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and at events and having
these really expensive wines.

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♪♪

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Hellman: By the time
he's in his mid 20s,

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he's already become known
among collectors

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00:03:09,889 --> 00:03:12,392
in the Los Angeles wine world.

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♪♪

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Goldberg:
He's looking for old wine,

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even though he looks
young enough to be carded.

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♪♪

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Rudy was spending up
to a million dollars a month

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at wine auctions.

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♪♪

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Rudy would simply
raise his paddle

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and turn his back
to the auctioneer,

80
00:03:46,726 --> 00:03:50,196
signifying that he was gonna
keep bidding no matter what.

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00:03:50,196 --> 00:03:54,267
The market was going up
by leaps and bounds.

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00:03:54,267 --> 00:03:57,036
Goldberg: Rudy was spending
so much money at auction,

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he was actually reshaping
the price of wine

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on the global market.

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I believe that Rudy
single‐handedly

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00:04:04,744 --> 00:04:06,879
pushed the market higher.

87
00:04:06,879 --> 00:04:08,514
[ Laughs ]

88
00:04:08,514 --> 00:04:10,283
Goldberg:
And he doesn't hoard

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00:04:10,283 --> 00:04:12,418
all of his expensive wine
in a cellar.

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He is the life of the party
and willing to share.

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♪♪

92
00:04:25,865 --> 00:04:28,267
Arthur Sarkissian
produces movies,

93
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like the "Rush Hour" series.

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00:04:30,203 --> 00:04:31,437
What are we doing here?

95
00:04:31,437 --> 00:04:33,106
It's called a shakedown.

96
00:04:33,106 --> 00:04:35,008
Very serious police work.

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00:04:35,008 --> 00:04:38,511
Sarkissian:
I first met Rudy at a luncheon,

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00:04:38,511 --> 00:04:41,848
maybe 2005 or 2006.

99
00:04:41,848 --> 00:04:44,217
It was a friendship
certainly that developed.

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♪♪

101
00:04:48,354 --> 00:04:52,725
Rudy was a one‐off and everyone
wanted to be around him.

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Rudy had this wonderful
reputation

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00:04:54,794 --> 00:04:57,497
because Rudy really
was generous with his wine.

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♪♪

105
00:05:01,901 --> 00:05:07,373
Not just financially
or inviting people to dinners,

106
00:05:07,373 --> 00:05:10,209
but it was his generosity
in people

107
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who were just the help.

108
00:05:12,679 --> 00:05:16,215
[ Conversing in Italian ]

109
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A waiter, a maître d'
in a restaurant, a busboy.

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He was really nice and friendly
and...warm to them.

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Troy:
He was very charismatic,

112
00:05:27,527 --> 00:05:31,164
and everyone was drinking
the Kool‐Aid

113
00:05:31,164 --> 00:05:33,433
and they were enjoying
the Kool‐Aid.

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00:05:33,433 --> 00:05:37,970
Goldberg: Or in this case,
a 1990 Chateau Margaux.

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♪♪

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So Rudy was a bon vivant
but also a mystery.

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Hellman:
Nobody could quite figure out

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00:05:47,513 --> 00:05:51,984
how did this very young guy
have so much money

119
00:05:51,984 --> 00:05:55,088
to buy so much great wine?

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Barzelay: With Rudy at that time
came a story

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00:05:58,825 --> 00:06:02,995
that he was a wealthy
trust‐fund baby,

122
00:06:02,995 --> 00:06:06,966
that his family
had the exclusivity

123
00:06:06,966 --> 00:06:10,703
to Heineken beer in Indonesia.

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It was all rumors, and
he would never verify any of it.

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♪♪

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00:06:17,043 --> 00:06:19,245
But you wanted to be close
to him

127
00:06:19,245 --> 00:06:22,248
because that was
a very fun place to be.

128
00:06:22,248 --> 00:06:24,083
[ Laughter ]

129
00:06:24,083 --> 00:06:28,721
♪♪

130
00:06:28,721 --> 00:06:31,023
Hellman:
He began to develop his palate,

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00:06:31,023 --> 00:06:34,026
his ability to distinguish
between wines.

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00:06:34,026 --> 00:06:35,728
Rudy Kurniawan turned out

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to have the equivalent
of perfect pitch

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00:06:38,564 --> 00:06:41,100
that a musician
would have for wine.

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♪♪

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Goldberg: Think of his mouth as
the equivalent of Mozart's ear.

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He had developed a reputation
of being sort of

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00:06:51,377 --> 00:06:54,480
like the Rain Man of old wine.

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00:06:54,480 --> 00:07:00,386
♪♪

140
00:07:00,386 --> 00:07:02,555
He discovers he can become

141
00:07:02,555 --> 00:07:05,024
the center of attention
and adulation

142
00:07:05,024 --> 00:07:08,895
in tastings
with very wealthy Americans.

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And suddenly he's vaulted
into this world

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00:07:11,464 --> 00:07:14,867
of millionaires
and billionaires.

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00:07:14,867 --> 00:07:17,036
Goldberg:
And Rudy is about to vault

146
00:07:17,036 --> 00:07:20,706
into the world of
one billionaire in particular.

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00:07:20,706 --> 00:07:23,442
♪♪

148
00:07:23,442 --> 00:07:26,045
Brown: I had never gone
to a wine auction before,

149
00:07:26,045 --> 00:07:28,381
so I just went
to the one at Christie's

150
00:07:28,381 --> 00:07:30,616
on a Saturday afternoon.

151
00:07:30,616 --> 00:07:34,620
And I noticed
this young Asian man

152
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and a guy that sat
in the back near me,

153
00:07:38,224 --> 00:07:42,128
and they were furiously
bidding against each other.

154
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The gentleman in the back bids
for various clients,

155
00:07:45,364 --> 00:07:48,467
and one of his clients
was Bill Koch.

156
00:07:48,467 --> 00:07:53,673
But what I was watching was
Rudy bidding against Bill Koch,

157
00:07:53,673 --> 00:07:55,808
and Bill Koch was losing.

158
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[ Gavel bangs ]

159
00:07:57,910 --> 00:08:02,548
[ Classical music playing ]

160
00:08:02,548 --> 00:08:04,417
Goldberg:
If the name sounds familiar,

161
00:08:04,417 --> 00:08:06,185
it's because the Kochs

162
00:08:06,185 --> 00:08:09,121
are one of the richest
families in the world.

163
00:08:09,121 --> 00:08:11,123
Maybe you've heard
of the Koch brothers,

164
00:08:11,123 --> 00:08:14,360
David and Charles,
oil and gas titans

165
00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:17,830
and the ultimate
political power players.

166
00:08:17,830 --> 00:08:19,732
Bill is one of
the other brothers,

167
00:08:19,732 --> 00:08:21,868
and he prefers
a different title.

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00:08:21,868 --> 00:08:23,236
♪♪

169
00:08:23,236 --> 00:08:27,306
Koch: I would say that I am
an extensive collector.

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00:08:27,306 --> 00:08:29,775
♪♪

171
00:08:29,775 --> 00:08:32,044
And I'm a bit mad about it.

172
00:08:32,044 --> 00:08:35,414
♪♪

173
00:08:35,414 --> 00:08:38,217
Goldberg: Mr. Koch is a man
of refined taste.

174
00:08:38,217 --> 00:08:41,187
In his home, there's a Monet
"Water Lilies" here,

175
00:08:41,187 --> 00:08:43,556
a Frederic Remington sculpture
over there,

176
00:08:43,556 --> 00:08:46,025
and behind Koch
during our interview,

177
00:08:46,025 --> 00:08:48,394
a Salvador Dalí.

178
00:08:48,394 --> 00:08:51,697
And the man collects wine, too.

179
00:08:51,697 --> 00:08:54,700
One of the reasons
I really love wine

180
00:08:54,700 --> 00:08:58,471
is if you can get some
historical wines,

181
00:08:58,471 --> 00:09:02,408
it's wonderful to drink
a little bit of the history.

182
00:09:02,408 --> 00:09:04,143
And to me, that's fun.

183
00:09:04,143 --> 00:09:06,379
♪♪

184
00:09:06,379 --> 00:09:09,916
The Boston Museum of Fine Art

185
00:09:09,916 --> 00:09:13,185
said, "We want to show
your entire collection,

186
00:09:13,185 --> 00:09:15,688
including the wine."

187
00:09:15,688 --> 00:09:19,292
Goldberg: And that included
Bill's most prized wines,

188
00:09:19,292 --> 00:09:23,996
wines owned by founding father
Thomas Jefferson.

189
00:09:23,996 --> 00:09:28,601
The bottles, to me as a
collector, were very seductive

190
00:09:28,601 --> 00:09:30,536
because it's part of history

191
00:09:30,536 --> 00:09:34,273
and it's one of our greatest
presidents that had them.

192
00:09:34,273 --> 00:09:39,111
And I bought 4 bottles
at $100,000 each.

193
00:09:39,111 --> 00:09:40,813
♪♪

194
00:09:40,813 --> 00:09:42,315
Goldberg: You heard the man.

195
00:09:42,315 --> 00:09:45,518
What's on the table
is almost half a mil!

196
00:09:45,518 --> 00:09:48,688
Wines this old
are not here to drink.

197
00:09:48,688 --> 00:09:50,856
They are historical artifacts,

198
00:09:50,856 --> 00:09:54,694
but the museum needed
to document their authenticity.

199
00:09:54,694 --> 00:09:56,996
♪♪

200
00:09:56,996 --> 00:10:00,933
Koch:
This young bulldog investigator

201
00:10:00,933 --> 00:10:02,768
came to work for us.

202
00:10:02,768 --> 00:10:06,539
The first thing he did was call
up Jefferson's museum,

203
00:10:06,539 --> 00:10:08,908
and they said,
"They're all fake."

204
00:10:08,908 --> 00:10:10,676
And so I said, "Damn it."

205
00:10:10,676 --> 00:10:13,245
Goldberg:
Now you might be thinking

206
00:10:13,245 --> 00:10:15,915
these bottles
have something to do with Rudy.

207
00:10:15,915 --> 00:10:17,116
They don't.

208
00:10:17,116 --> 00:10:18,784
Turns out
they didn't have anything to do

209
00:10:18,784 --> 00:10:20,553
with Thomas Jefferson either,

210
00:10:20,553 --> 00:10:23,389
but they will end up
being Rudy's downfall.

211
00:10:23,389 --> 00:10:26,826
I'm not letting anybody fake
something so precious

212
00:10:26,826 --> 00:10:28,127
and dear as that.

213
00:10:28,127 --> 00:10:30,029
Goldberg:
The counterfeit Jeffersons

214
00:10:30,029 --> 00:10:32,031
came from a German seller,

215
00:10:32,031 --> 00:10:34,667
and the billionaire
took him to court.

216
00:10:34,667 --> 00:10:39,605
So Bill Koch has been burned,
and he goes to his wine cellar.

217
00:10:39,605 --> 00:10:44,777
And so I looked at it and said,
"I got to look at every bottle."

218
00:10:44,777 --> 00:10:48,080
Goldberg: So Koch brings in
authenticators

219
00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:52,518
to vet all 44,000 bottles
in his cellar,

220
00:10:52,518 --> 00:10:56,956
looking for any other wines
that might not be the real deal.

221
00:10:56,956 --> 00:10:59,058
Koch: What we found through
the investigation

222
00:10:59,058 --> 00:11:01,093
surprised the hell out of me.

223
00:11:01,093 --> 00:11:03,596
Goldberg: Bill Koch
and Rudy Kurniawan's worlds

224
00:11:03,596 --> 00:11:06,866
began to collide
in a spectacular fashion.

225
00:11:06,866 --> 00:11:09,735
Billionaire versus boy wonder.

226
00:11:09,735 --> 00:11:11,103
I got mad as hell and I said,
"I'm going after him."

227
00:11:11,103 --> 00:11:13,839
♪♪

228
00:11:18,944 --> 00:11:20,646
[ Operatic music playing ]

229
00:11:20,646 --> 00:11:25,751
♪♪

230
00:11:25,751 --> 00:11:30,856
♪♪

231
00:11:30,856 --> 00:11:32,224
Goldberg: If you find out

232
00:11:32,224 --> 00:11:34,360
your priceless
Thomas Jefferson wines

233
00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:36,962
are your counterfeit
Thomas Jefferson wines,

234
00:11:36,962 --> 00:11:39,498
you'd probably do
what Bill Koch does.

235
00:11:39,498 --> 00:11:43,002
He hires experts
to put every single bottle

236
00:11:43,002 --> 00:11:45,337
in his cellar
under a microscope.

237
00:11:45,337 --> 00:11:47,606
♪♪

238
00:11:47,606 --> 00:11:50,209
Goldstein: At the time,
I think he had north

239
00:11:50,209 --> 00:11:53,646
of 44,000 bottles
in that cellar.

240
00:11:53,646 --> 00:11:55,648
After we had
all the experts in ‐‐

241
00:11:55,648 --> 00:12:00,519
chemists, bottle makers,
ink experts ‐‐

242
00:12:00,519 --> 00:12:04,056
I thought,
"This will take forever."

243
00:12:04,056 --> 00:12:06,926
Goldberg: And while they're
rooting around in Bill's cellar,

244
00:12:06,926 --> 00:12:11,764
Rudy Kurniawan is becoming
the wine world's new big buyer.

245
00:12:11,764 --> 00:12:25,878
♪♪

246
00:12:25,878 --> 00:12:30,049
Don Cornwell knows wine
and knows fraud, too.

247
00:12:30,049 --> 00:12:32,852
His specialty ‐‐ Burgundies.

248
00:12:32,852 --> 00:12:35,488
And Rudy says he's got them.

249
00:12:35,488 --> 00:12:39,992
Cornwell: I was first introduced
to Rudy at a pre‐auction event.

250
00:12:39,992 --> 00:12:45,431
He asked me, "What's the oldest
Roumier you've ever had?"

251
00:12:45,431 --> 00:12:49,335
And I said,
"It was a 1969 Bonnes‐Mares."

252
00:12:49,335 --> 00:12:51,770
Rudy kind of laughed.

253
00:12:51,770 --> 00:12:59,111
And he said, "Well,
I recently had the '45, '49,

254
00:12:59,111 --> 00:13:03,082
'55 and '62 Roumier
Bonnes‐Mares."

255
00:13:03,082 --> 00:13:05,951
I was just floored.

256
00:13:05,951 --> 00:13:08,854
Those are the four best
Burgundy vintages

257
00:13:08,854 --> 00:13:10,789
after World War II.

258
00:13:10,789 --> 00:13:13,726
Those wines do not exist.

259
00:13:13,726 --> 00:13:15,895
I thought instantly

260
00:13:15,895 --> 00:13:20,766
that Rudy was trying
to impress me foolishly

261
00:13:20,766 --> 00:13:24,537
or that he was
some kind of a con man.

262
00:13:24,537 --> 00:13:28,407
♪♪

263
00:13:28,407 --> 00:13:31,076
Goldberg: People
are starting to wonder,

264
00:13:31,076 --> 00:13:33,179
"Where is this money
coming from?

265
00:13:33,179 --> 00:13:34,847
Who is this guy?

266
00:13:34,847 --> 00:13:39,685
Where is Rudy acquiring
all these rare lost treasures?"

267
00:13:39,685 --> 00:13:43,622
It almost seems as if he's
pulling them out of thin air.

268
00:13:43,622 --> 00:13:45,891
♪♪

269
00:13:45,891 --> 00:13:48,027
Downey:
In a very short period of time,

270
00:13:48,027 --> 00:13:52,865
Rudy Kurniawan goes from buying
$40 California wine

271
00:13:52,865 --> 00:13:57,069
to now all of a sudden millions
of dollars of the rarest wine

272
00:13:57,069 --> 00:13:59,205
that's ever been seen.

273
00:13:59,205 --> 00:14:03,042
There is nothing logical
about that.

274
00:14:03,042 --> 00:14:06,512
♪♪

275
00:14:06,512 --> 00:14:09,915
There were rumors that there
was something amiss with Rudy.

276
00:14:09,915 --> 00:14:11,951
♪♪

277
00:14:11,951 --> 00:14:14,787
Sarkissian: Did I ever hear
of the rumors?

278
00:14:14,787 --> 00:14:17,223
Never did, ever.

279
00:14:17,223 --> 00:14:20,459
I mean, look, the guy drank wine
like I drink water.

280
00:14:20,459 --> 00:14:29,068
♪♪

281
00:14:29,068 --> 00:14:30,836
Goldberg: But now Rudy isn't

282
00:14:30,836 --> 00:14:33,138
just buying rare wines
at auction.

283
00:14:33,138 --> 00:14:34,840
He's selling them, too.

284
00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:37,243
$8,500, I'm out.
$9,000 in the room.

285
00:14:37,243 --> 00:14:39,245
And nobody is complaining.

286
00:14:39,245 --> 00:14:43,649
Mosley: If you've never tasted
a wine that is 80 years old,

287
00:14:43,649 --> 00:14:46,685
then how do you know what
an 80‐year‐old wine tastes like?

288
00:14:46,685 --> 00:14:48,220
And you don't want to be
the odd man out

289
00:14:48,220 --> 00:14:49,555
who tastes the wine
and you're like...

290
00:14:49,555 --> 00:14:50,856
[ Smacking lips ]
"This is awful."

291
00:14:50,856 --> 00:14:53,259
And then everyone looks at you
like you're lower class,

292
00:14:53,259 --> 00:14:57,096
so you'll participate
in the charade.

293
00:14:57,096 --> 00:15:01,233
Hellman: Rudy was beloved
by many top collectors.

294
00:15:01,233 --> 00:15:05,838
He was teamed up
with John Kapon.

295
00:15:05,838 --> 00:15:07,706
John Kapon owned
the auction house

296
00:15:07,706 --> 00:15:10,009
known as Acker Merrall & Condit.

297
00:15:10,009 --> 00:15:12,945
♪♪

298
00:15:12,945 --> 00:15:17,583
In 2006, Rudy decides to sell
thousands of bottles

299
00:15:17,583 --> 00:15:19,218
through Acker.

300
00:15:19,218 --> 00:15:20,919
Goldberg:
Two auctions are set,

301
00:15:20,919 --> 00:15:23,822
featuring some of Rudy's
rarest vintages.

302
00:15:23,822 --> 00:15:27,826
They are going to be premier
events in the wine world.

303
00:15:27,826 --> 00:15:30,262
McInerney: There had never been
auctions on this scale,

304
00:15:30,262 --> 00:15:33,732
with so many rare,
hard‐to‐find wines.

305
00:15:33,732 --> 00:15:35,501
This caused a lot of talk,

306
00:15:35,501 --> 00:15:38,904
a particularly since this guy
was virtually unknown

307
00:15:38,904 --> 00:15:40,906
just a couple of years before.

308
00:15:40,906 --> 00:15:45,744
Full cases of, you know,
rarest wines in the world

309
00:15:45,744 --> 00:15:47,880
in huge quantities.

310
00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:53,686
So rare that these quantities
should be virtually nonexistent.

311
00:15:53,686 --> 00:15:58,590
The rooms for both auctions,
as I recall, were full,

312
00:15:58,590 --> 00:16:02,494
and there was a lot
of spirited bidding.

313
00:16:02,494 --> 00:16:07,599
Together, the two auctions
grossed $35 million.

314
00:16:07,599 --> 00:16:10,135
Goldberg: $35 million.

315
00:16:10,135 --> 00:16:12,404
These wine auctions shatter

316
00:16:12,404 --> 00:16:15,541
every previous record
for wine to date.

317
00:16:15,541 --> 00:16:17,543
‐Nice to meet everyone.
‐Yeah.

318
00:16:17,543 --> 00:16:18,744
‐Very nice.
‐Beautiful.

319
00:16:18,744 --> 00:16:21,113
Goldberg: One of the auction's
biggest buyers ‐‐

320
00:16:21,113 --> 00:16:23,816
you guessed it, Bill Koch.

321
00:16:23,816 --> 00:16:26,819
But remember, Koch's
investigators are still

322
00:16:26,819 --> 00:16:30,556
ferreting out fakes
in his cellar.

323
00:16:30,556 --> 00:16:34,226
Goldstein: I received
a phone call from a reporter

324
00:16:34,226 --> 00:16:35,961
who said that Bill Koch

325
00:16:35,961 --> 00:16:41,200
just purchased a couple of lots
at an Acker Merrall auction

326
00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:43,602
and said that the consigner

327
00:16:43,602 --> 00:16:46,672
was a gentleman
by the name of Rudy Kurniawan

328
00:16:46,672 --> 00:16:50,676
and these bottles
were counterfeit.

329
00:16:50,676 --> 00:16:55,481
♪♪

330
00:16:55,481 --> 00:16:58,851
Bill wanted to bring
a legal case against Rudy.

331
00:16:58,851 --> 00:17:02,054
Generally, I hate to be cheated.

332
00:17:02,054 --> 00:17:05,457
And if you're cheating me,
I'm coming after you.

333
00:17:05,457 --> 00:17:06,825
Goldberg: Boom.

334
00:17:06,825 --> 00:17:10,129
You will not believe
how Rudy is doing it

335
00:17:10,129 --> 00:17:12,164
and why this has anything to do

336
00:17:12,164 --> 00:17:14,833
with an Indonesian
badminton player.

337
00:17:14,833 --> 00:17:18,303
You heard me ‐‐
an Indonesian badminton player.

338
00:17:18,303 --> 00:17:20,672
[ Cheers and applause ]

339
00:17:25,477 --> 00:17:27,613
Koch: These are five bottles
that are fake.

340
00:17:27,613 --> 00:17:30,716
This first bottle is La Tâche.

341
00:17:30,716 --> 00:17:33,118
The label ‐‐ it's copied.

342
00:17:33,118 --> 00:17:36,054
Here's another bottle
of Romanee‐Conti.

343
00:17:36,054 --> 00:17:38,123
The label is photocopied.

344
00:17:38,123 --> 00:17:42,027
I purchased it for $7,750.

345
00:17:42,027 --> 00:17:44,062
Goldberg:
Bill Koch has been duped...

346
00:17:44,062 --> 00:17:45,964
and props to Bill Koch.

347
00:17:45,964 --> 00:17:48,500
Not many billionaire collectors
like to admit

348
00:17:48,500 --> 00:17:52,571
they've been taken in
by a multimillion‐dollar con.

349
00:17:52,571 --> 00:17:55,941
The main thing I wanted was
to shine a bright light

350
00:17:55,941 --> 00:17:59,044
on the corruption
in the wine industry,

351
00:17:59,044 --> 00:18:03,382
to expose
all the villains of it.

352
00:18:03,382 --> 00:18:06,185
‐Salud!
‐To Rudy!
‐To Rudy!

353
00:18:06,185 --> 00:18:08,987
Goldberg: Rudy Kurniawan,
the wine emperor,

354
00:18:08,987 --> 00:18:11,657
has barely a stitch of clothes.

355
00:18:11,657 --> 00:18:16,695
Some of his one‐of‐a‐kind wines
are 100% fake.

356
00:18:16,695 --> 00:18:19,565
I said, "We got to really
investigate him,

357
00:18:19,565 --> 00:18:23,101
find out everything about him,
dig into it."

358
00:18:23,101 --> 00:18:24,903
Goldstein: And then it became,

359
00:18:24,903 --> 00:18:27,206
like, this international
chess game.

360
00:18:27,206 --> 00:18:28,907
You know,
it was like one false front

361
00:18:28,907 --> 00:18:30,242
after another after another.

362
00:18:30,242 --> 00:18:32,411
And finally, it's really
dawning on us that,

363
00:18:32,411 --> 00:18:34,012
"Wait a second.

364
00:18:34,012 --> 00:18:37,015
This guy is just making it up

365
00:18:37,015 --> 00:18:38,450
out of whole cloth."

366
00:18:38,450 --> 00:18:42,754
♪♪

367
00:18:42,754 --> 00:18:46,125
Goldberg: Actually,
some people <i>are</i> experts, Rudy,

368
00:18:46,125 --> 00:18:48,227
and that billionaire you conned

369
00:18:48,227 --> 00:18:52,865
is about to hire
a whole bunch of them.

370
00:18:52,865 --> 00:18:55,100
Hellman: And only Bill
was willing to spend

371
00:18:55,100 --> 00:18:57,603
millions and millions of dollars

372
00:18:57,603 --> 00:19:00,973
to send out investigators
all over Asia,

373
00:19:00,973 --> 00:19:04,810
all over America to try
and find out the real story

374
00:19:04,810 --> 00:19:07,513
about Rudy Kurniawan's origins.

375
00:19:07,513 --> 00:19:12,851
♪♪

376
00:19:12,851 --> 00:19:16,822
Koch: Rudy's name wasn't what
he claimed to be.

377
00:19:16,822 --> 00:19:20,659
There was a real Rudy Kurniawan,

378
00:19:20,659 --> 00:19:23,362
the badminton player
in Indonesia.

379
00:19:23,362 --> 00:19:25,197
[ Cheers and applause ]

380
00:19:25,197 --> 00:19:27,299
♪♪

381
00:19:27,299 --> 00:19:29,601
Scammers will change
their last names

382
00:19:29,601 --> 00:19:31,336
or their first names or both,

383
00:19:31,336 --> 00:19:35,674
so that no one can easily trace
anything that they had to hide.

384
00:19:35,674 --> 00:19:37,109
Goldberg: Bill Koch's sleuths

385
00:19:37,109 --> 00:19:39,511
were beginning
to uncork the truth

386
00:19:39,511 --> 00:19:42,614
about the wine world's
newest connoisseur,

387
00:19:42,614 --> 00:19:45,384
beginning with his real name ‐‐

388
00:19:45,384 --> 00:19:47,953
Zhen Wang Huang ‐‐ Mm‐hmm ‐‐

389
00:19:47,953 --> 00:19:50,289
and his immigration status.

390
00:19:50,289 --> 00:19:52,791
Rudy was not here legally.

391
00:19:52,791 --> 00:19:55,894
Hellman: He came to the U.S.
to go to college

392
00:19:55,894 --> 00:19:58,564
at Cal State Northridge.

393
00:19:58,564 --> 00:20:00,899
Goldstein: He overstayed
his student visa.

394
00:20:00,899 --> 00:20:04,269
In 2003, they had issued
a warrant out for his arrest,

395
00:20:04,269 --> 00:20:07,306
so he had run out of options.

396
00:20:07,306 --> 00:20:17,716
♪♪

397
00:20:17,716 --> 00:20:20,652
At this point, people thought
Rudy could walk on water.

398
00:20:20,652 --> 00:20:22,220
♪♪

399
00:20:22,220 --> 00:20:25,157
No. [ Laughing ]

400
00:20:25,157 --> 00:20:26,291
Cornwell: And at some point,

401
00:20:26,291 --> 00:20:30,462
it got all too uncontrollable
for Rudy.

402
00:20:30,462 --> 00:20:33,865
Goldberg: And he may be drunk
with his own success

403
00:20:33,865 --> 00:20:38,236
because Rudy is gearing up
to sell wine at another auction.

404
00:20:38,236 --> 00:20:44,710
But this time, he and his paddle
may be in way over his head.

405
00:20:44,710 --> 00:20:46,778
Downey: In this auction,

406
00:20:46,778 --> 00:20:48,747
there were several hundred
thousand dollars' worth

407
00:20:48,747 --> 00:20:51,083
of Ponsot wines.

408
00:20:51,083 --> 00:20:54,519
Domaine Ponsot is a very famous
producer in Burgundy,

409
00:20:54,519 --> 00:20:58,724
and Laurent Ponsot
is a pretty sharp man.

410
00:20:58,724 --> 00:21:04,696
Rudy was selling old bottles
going back to the 1940s.

411
00:21:04,696 --> 00:21:08,500
My first reaction was,
"That's interesting.

412
00:21:08,500 --> 00:21:12,871
I've never seen bottles
of Clos St. Denis that old.

413
00:21:12,871 --> 00:21:17,342
And didn't Laurent Ponsot
only start making this wine

414
00:21:17,342 --> 00:21:19,244
in the early 1980s?"

415
00:21:19,244 --> 00:21:23,582
Doug Barzelay contacted
Laurent Ponsot

416
00:21:23,582 --> 00:21:26,852
to ask him
about the various wines

417
00:21:26,852 --> 00:21:28,320
that were in the catalog.

418
00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:31,089
Goldberg: Laurent, the
winemaker, was dumbfounded.

419
00:21:31,089 --> 00:21:35,994
His family didn't even make
Clos St. Denis before 1982.

420
00:21:35,994 --> 00:21:37,996
Barzelay: And he said,
"You've got to get them

421
00:21:37,996 --> 00:21:40,198
pulled from the auction."

422
00:21:40,198 --> 00:21:43,368
At the end of the day,
he was very persistent.

423
00:21:43,368 --> 00:21:49,174
I put in a call to John Kapon,
told him what I had learned.

424
00:21:49,174 --> 00:21:51,943
Goldberg:
John Kapon is the auctioneer.

425
00:21:51,943 --> 00:21:53,545
So Laurent jumped
on an airplane,

426
00:21:53,545 --> 00:21:55,547
literally, flew to New York.

427
00:21:55,547 --> 00:21:59,351
♪♪

428
00:21:59,351 --> 00:22:01,420
[ Horns honking ]

429
00:22:01,420 --> 00:22:04,990
♪♪

430
00:22:04,990 --> 00:22:06,358
[ Indistinct conversations ]

431
00:22:06,358 --> 00:22:08,093
Auctioneer #4: $30,000,
still looking for $30,000.

432
00:22:08,093 --> 00:22:09,461
$32,000, I'm out.

433
00:22:09,461 --> 00:22:13,665
McInerney: I saw him walk
into the room early on,

434
00:22:13,665 --> 00:22:15,834
and I was quite surprised.

435
00:22:15,834 --> 00:22:18,236
He sat at the back of the room,
and he certainly

436
00:22:18,236 --> 00:22:19,604
didn't look like
he was there to have fun.

437
00:22:19,604 --> 00:22:20,706
[ Chuckles ]

438
00:22:20,706 --> 00:22:21,907
Auctioneer #4: $9,000.

439
00:22:21,907 --> 00:22:24,209
Downey:
It was a rather boisterous mood.

440
00:22:24,209 --> 00:22:25,811
And somebody walked up
to the podium

441
00:22:25,811 --> 00:22:27,379
and let John Kapon know

442
00:22:27,379 --> 00:22:30,449
that Laurent Ponsot
was in the room.

443
00:22:30,449 --> 00:22:32,584
Hellman:
Midway through this auction,

444
00:22:32,584 --> 00:22:35,687
the auctioneer,
John Kapon, said,

445
00:22:35,687 --> 00:22:39,391
"At the request of the Domaine
and with the consent

446
00:22:39,391 --> 00:22:41,893
of the consigner,
Rudy Kurniawan,

447
00:22:41,893 --> 00:22:45,697
I'm withdrawing the next 22 lots
of Domaine Ponsot wines."

448
00:22:45,697 --> 00:22:47,699
[ Indistinct conversations ]

449
00:22:47,699 --> 00:22:50,736
♪♪

450
00:22:50,736 --> 00:22:52,037
And the room went wild.

451
00:22:52,037 --> 00:22:54,206
They were upset that the wines
weren't being sold.

452
00:22:54,206 --> 00:22:56,308
♪♪

453
00:22:56,308 --> 00:22:58,810
Hellman: Rudy Kurniawan
was kind of hovering

454
00:22:58,810 --> 00:23:01,012
like a scared squirrel
in the corner,

455
00:23:01,012 --> 00:23:02,547
and I said, "So, Rudy,
what happened

456
00:23:02,547 --> 00:23:06,451
with those 22 lots
of Domaine Ponsot wines?"

457
00:23:06,451 --> 00:23:08,386
Finally, he said,

458
00:23:08,386 --> 00:23:10,589
"Well, we try our best,

459
00:23:10,589 --> 00:23:14,926
but it's Burgundy
and [bleep] happens."

460
00:23:14,926 --> 00:23:19,464
That is all that Rudy ever said
about what happened that night.

461
00:23:19,464 --> 00:23:23,735
Goldberg: All that supposedly
pricey wine evaporated.

462
00:23:23,735 --> 00:23:25,804
♪♪

463
00:23:25,804 --> 00:23:28,173
Hellman: Of those wines that
were being withdrawn,

464
00:23:28,173 --> 00:23:32,811
some were estimated to sell
for $60,000 per case.

465
00:23:32,811 --> 00:23:36,748
That's $5,000 per bottle,
but he muffed it

466
00:23:36,748 --> 00:23:40,051
because he couldn't sell wines
that didn't exist.

467
00:23:40,051 --> 00:23:43,388
The Ponsot sale was
the beginning of the floor

468
00:23:43,388 --> 00:23:45,323
coming out from underneath Rudy.

469
00:23:45,323 --> 00:23:47,259
♪♪

470
00:23:47,259 --> 00:23:51,563
We said, "He's a con artist,
a very clever con artist."

471
00:23:51,563 --> 00:23:54,332
Goldstein: You know,
like a classic con artist,

472
00:23:54,332 --> 00:23:58,503
Rudy's story had kernels
of truth to it,

473
00:23:58,503 --> 00:23:59,471
but that's all.

474
00:23:59,471 --> 00:24:01,039
They were like breadcrumbs.

475
00:24:01,039 --> 00:24:04,176
The real truth was a lot darker.

476
00:24:04,176 --> 00:24:13,718
♪♪

477
00:24:13,718 --> 00:24:15,220
[ Laughing ]

478
00:24:15,220 --> 00:24:19,391
♪♪

479
00:24:19,391 --> 00:24:20,959
Goldberg:
No, Rudy, you can't.

480
00:24:20,959 --> 00:24:23,128
The cork is out of the bottle

481
00:24:23,128 --> 00:24:24,596
and wait till you see
what he did with it.

482
00:24:24,596 --> 00:24:27,199
♪♪

483
00:24:43,648 --> 00:24:46,017
Cornwell:
After April 25, 2008, I mean,

484
00:24:46,017 --> 00:24:50,956
Rudy has been caught red‐handed
selling wines that don't exist.

485
00:24:50,956 --> 00:24:53,425
So he had some explaining to do.

486
00:24:53,425 --> 00:24:55,493
♪♪

487
00:24:55,493 --> 00:24:58,997
Goldberg:
Enter Jim Wynne, FBI.

488
00:24:58,997 --> 00:25:01,433
Wynne: The wine‐fraud
investigation into Rudy

489
00:25:01,433 --> 00:25:04,903
actually started with Bill Koch,
who had determined

490
00:25:04,903 --> 00:25:07,973
that Rudy was selling
fake wines into the marketplace.

491
00:25:07,973 --> 00:25:12,611
We said, "Well, you know,
we both have the same ends,

492
00:25:12,611 --> 00:25:15,113
so we ought to be cooperative."

493
00:25:15,113 --> 00:25:17,749
He was able to provide us
names of individuals

494
00:25:17,749 --> 00:25:19,184
who they had identified

495
00:25:19,184 --> 00:25:22,053
as being victimized
in these auction sales,

496
00:25:22,053 --> 00:25:24,556
physical evidence ‐‐ bottles
that he had purchased

497
00:25:24,556 --> 00:25:26,858
at these sales
that were counterfeit.

498
00:25:26,858 --> 00:25:28,393
Goldberg: Jim's investigation

499
00:25:28,393 --> 00:25:30,795
also led him
to the man you met earlier,

500
00:25:30,795 --> 00:25:32,264
Don Cornwell,

501
00:25:32,264 --> 00:25:37,102
the Burgundy expert and
self‐appointed wine detective.

502
00:25:37,102 --> 00:25:40,405
Wynne: He follows the market
like you wouldn't believe.

503
00:25:40,405 --> 00:25:43,241
He's on top of everything.

504
00:25:43,241 --> 00:25:45,543
Cornwell:
I decided enough was enough.

505
00:25:45,543 --> 00:25:48,480
I knew Rudy had been
selling counterfeits.

506
00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:52,450
And Mr. Wynne asked me
to basically start

507
00:25:52,450 --> 00:25:54,586
sending him information.

508
00:25:54,586 --> 00:25:56,187
Hellman:
I would say Don Cornwell

509
00:25:56,187 --> 00:25:58,657
is more of a Sherlock Holmes

510
00:25:58,657 --> 00:26:01,559
when it comes
to examining labels.

511
00:26:01,559 --> 00:26:03,895
He's a great defender
of authenticity.

512
00:26:03,895 --> 00:26:05,497
And I decided we would do

513
00:26:05,497 --> 00:26:09,367
whatever it took
to dig into this.

514
00:26:09,367 --> 00:26:11,770
Look at those other wines
Rudy was selling,

515
00:26:11,770 --> 00:26:13,571
try to prove they're fake.

516
00:26:13,571 --> 00:26:16,474
We were scrutinizing
the daylights out of all of them

517
00:26:16,474 --> 00:26:19,911
to find every labeling
discrepancy that we could find.

518
00:26:19,911 --> 00:26:23,448
♪♪

519
00:26:23,448 --> 00:26:27,852
Goldberg: Jason Hernandez
is the man who gets the case.

520
00:26:27,852 --> 00:26:31,289
It seemed pretty clear that he
was selling counterfeit wine,

521
00:26:31,289 --> 00:26:34,092
but the question was,
"Is he making it

522
00:26:34,092 --> 00:26:37,696
or is he obtaining counterfeit
wine and then selling them?"

523
00:26:37,696 --> 00:26:39,998
♪♪

524
00:26:39,998 --> 00:26:41,399
Wynne: We made an effort

525
00:26:41,399 --> 00:26:45,070
to collect as much
documentary evidence

526
00:26:45,070 --> 00:26:50,075
with respect to wines
and financial transactions.

527
00:26:50,075 --> 00:26:52,844
Hernandez: It meant reviewing
hundreds and hundreds of pages

528
00:26:52,844 --> 00:26:54,279
of bank documents,

529
00:26:54,279 --> 00:26:59,250
reviewing thousands of e‐mails
that he sent, looking for clues.

530
00:26:59,250 --> 00:27:01,519
Wynne:
We subpoenaed his e‐mails.

531
00:27:01,519 --> 00:27:04,823
He was buying wax for capsules.

532
00:27:04,823 --> 00:27:07,959
He was buying antique paper
to make labels.

533
00:27:07,959 --> 00:27:13,365
We knew that he was central
to the creation of the fakes.

534
00:27:13,365 --> 00:27:14,632
What you ask for in a wine,
you know,

535
00:27:14,632 --> 00:27:16,968
power, elegance,
structure, everything, man.

536
00:27:16,968 --> 00:27:18,470
This is it.

537
00:27:18,470 --> 00:27:22,941
Goldberg: And while the FBI is
closing in on Rudy on one side,

538
00:27:22,941 --> 00:27:26,177
Bill Koch is working
the other.

539
00:27:26,177 --> 00:27:30,782
The investigation for me
was fun

540
00:27:30,782 --> 00:27:33,818
because it involved a lot
of trying to figure out

541
00:27:33,818 --> 00:27:35,820
what the reality is.

542
00:27:35,820 --> 00:27:38,890
♪♪

543
00:27:38,890 --> 00:27:42,427
Goldstein: We get a tip from the
banking industry in Indonesia,

544
00:27:42,427 --> 00:27:46,264
and it started to explain
at least some of the reasons

545
00:27:46,264 --> 00:27:50,735
why this man
was trying to conceal

546
00:27:50,735 --> 00:27:52,070
who he really was.

547
00:27:52,070 --> 00:27:53,938
In the 1960s,

548
00:27:53,938 --> 00:27:58,209
Rudy's grandfather,
Harry Tansil, gets in trouble

549
00:27:58,209 --> 00:27:59,844
because he's a bank executive

550
00:27:59,844 --> 00:28:03,181
and he embezzles
a lot of their money.

551
00:28:03,181 --> 00:28:04,482
And then he goes to prison.

552
00:28:04,482 --> 00:28:07,285
Harry's got 12 kids.

553
00:28:07,285 --> 00:28:08,753
Two of those kids,

554
00:28:08,753 --> 00:28:12,624
Rudy's Uncle Eddy
and Uncle Hendra,

555
00:28:12,624 --> 00:28:16,261
are then implicated
by the Indonesian government

556
00:28:16,261 --> 00:28:20,632
in the biggest bank scandal

557
00:28:20,632 --> 00:28:22,534
in the history of the country
at the time.

558
00:28:22,534 --> 00:28:24,502
♪♪

559
00:28:24,502 --> 00:28:28,940
Goldberg: In the mid '90s,
Eddy Tansil and Hendra Rahardja

560
00:28:28,940 --> 00:28:31,176
were convicted
of embezzling money

561
00:28:31,176 --> 00:28:33,678
from government‐owned banks.

562
00:28:33,678 --> 00:28:36,214
Goldstein:
So between the two uncles,

563
00:28:36,214 --> 00:28:37,816
I think it's safe to say

564
00:28:37,816 --> 00:28:41,719
that both of them stole
about a billion U. S. dollars.

565
00:28:41,719 --> 00:28:43,388
Goldberg:
And Koch's investigators

566
00:28:43,388 --> 00:28:46,057
did find that
some of that billion

567
00:28:46,057 --> 00:28:49,594
was transferred
into Rudy's dad's bank account.

568
00:28:49,594 --> 00:28:51,563
♪♪

569
00:28:51,563 --> 00:28:53,698
A billion dollars
is a lot of money.

570
00:28:53,698 --> 00:28:55,066
Where did that money go?

571
00:28:55,066 --> 00:28:58,636
[ Auctioneer
speaking indistinctly ]

572
00:28:58,636 --> 00:29:00,905
♪♪

573
00:29:00,905 --> 00:29:04,809
I think some
of that money ended up

574
00:29:04,809 --> 00:29:08,079
buying a lot of wine in America.

575
00:29:08,079 --> 00:29:10,381
Everything he was saying
was a lie.

576
00:29:10,381 --> 00:29:12,717
There was no Heineken
exclusivity

577
00:29:12,717 --> 00:29:14,686
for any part of Asia.

578
00:29:14,686 --> 00:29:17,388
His family businesses
turned out to be

579
00:29:17,388 --> 00:29:19,824
pretty much an illusion.

580
00:29:19,824 --> 00:29:22,327
[ Auctioneer speaking
indistinctly ]

581
00:29:22,327 --> 00:29:23,561
[ Gavel bangs ]

582
00:29:23,561 --> 00:29:25,096
Goldberg: So perhaps the money

583
00:29:25,096 --> 00:29:27,098
that got Rudy
into the wine business

584
00:29:27,098 --> 00:29:29,734
was illegal,
but by this point,

585
00:29:29,734 --> 00:29:34,072
his money seems to be gone
and he's still living large.

586
00:29:34,072 --> 00:29:38,243
Hellman: As it turns out,
Rudy was deeply in debt.

587
00:29:38,243 --> 00:29:41,012
Hernandez: He was living
a really high‐flying lifestyle.

588
00:29:41,012 --> 00:29:43,681
He bought millions
of dollars of wine.

589
00:29:43,681 --> 00:29:45,316
Hellman:
He's buying his Hermès suits,

590
00:29:45,316 --> 00:29:48,353
custom lined
with Hermès scarves.

591
00:29:48,353 --> 00:29:50,889
He buys a new $8 million house,

592
00:29:50,889 --> 00:29:53,791
and he's getting in deeper
and deeper.

593
00:29:53,791 --> 00:29:55,093
Goldberg: So deep.

594
00:29:55,093 --> 00:29:57,028
There's no way
Rudy's gonna be able

595
00:29:57,028 --> 00:29:59,097
to dig himself out of this one.

596
00:29:59,097 --> 00:30:02,500
♪♪

597
00:30:06,504 --> 00:30:08,406
Goldberg: It's time
to bring down the con.

598
00:30:08,406 --> 00:30:11,376
Wynne: We had been building
a case for some time

599
00:30:11,376 --> 00:30:14,045
to request an arrest warrant.

600
00:30:14,045 --> 00:30:15,446
Goldberg: And the FBI agent

601
00:30:15,446 --> 00:30:18,616
isn't talking
about a case of wine.

602
00:30:18,616 --> 00:30:22,353
The best way to do this
is catch Rudy in the act.

603
00:30:22,353 --> 00:30:25,256
There was an auction
where Rudy was offering

604
00:30:25,256 --> 00:30:27,058
some clearly fake wines,

605
00:30:27,058 --> 00:30:29,994
and he was using a straw,
a third person, to do it.

606
00:30:29,994 --> 00:30:33,498
I got the catalog,
and I'm looking at the photos

607
00:30:33,498 --> 00:30:36,768
and it took me 30 seconds ‐‐
no more ‐‐ to say,

608
00:30:36,768 --> 00:30:38,870
"Those are absolutely
Rudy wines,

609
00:30:38,870 --> 00:30:40,171
because these are wines

610
00:30:40,171 --> 00:30:42,840
that basically you
would never see anywhere else."

611
00:30:42,840 --> 00:30:46,311
The same kind of stuff we'd seen
from Rudy over and over again.

612
00:30:46,311 --> 00:30:49,047
♪♪

613
00:30:49,047 --> 00:30:51,816
Wynne: Don started posting
on an online site

614
00:30:51,816 --> 00:30:56,554
called Wine Berserkers
that this collection was Rudy's.

615
00:30:56,554 --> 00:30:59,624
These were fakes, beware,
don't buy, et cetera.

616
00:30:59,624 --> 00:31:03,928
That generated an incredible,
incredible response online.

617
00:31:03,928 --> 00:31:07,465
Cornwell: It was the definition
of a viral post.

618
00:31:07,465 --> 00:31:09,534
Wynne: I thought,
"This is good evidence.

619
00:31:09,534 --> 00:31:12,971
Let's use this and move forward
with an arrest."

620
00:31:12,971 --> 00:31:14,405
Goldberg:
Thanks to Don's post,

621
00:31:14,405 --> 00:31:16,674
the auction house decided
to withdraw

622
00:31:16,674 --> 00:31:20,178
almost $1 million worth
of fake wine from the sale.

623
00:31:20,178 --> 00:31:21,746
♪♪

624
00:31:21,746 --> 00:31:25,450
Hernandez: The morning of Rudy's
arrest was March 8, 2012.

625
00:31:25,450 --> 00:31:27,819
FBI knocked on the door.

626
00:31:27,819 --> 00:31:30,221
♪♪

627
00:31:30,221 --> 00:31:31,856
Hellman: Finally, Rudy appears

628
00:31:31,856 --> 00:31:34,959
just as they're about
to ram down the door.

629
00:31:34,959 --> 00:31:37,028
He's handcuffed.

630
00:31:37,028 --> 00:31:38,062
[ Handcuffs click ]

631
00:31:38,062 --> 00:31:40,798
I walked up to the door,
and I looked in.

632
00:31:40,798 --> 00:31:42,967
Goldberg: If they were looking
for evidence,

633
00:31:42,967 --> 00:31:45,870
this was the mother lode.

634
00:31:45,870 --> 00:31:48,573
You could see that the kitchen
was something else.

635
00:31:48,573 --> 00:31:49,707
[ Camera shutter clicks ]

636
00:31:49,707 --> 00:31:51,276
Wynne: There was a window

637
00:31:51,276 --> 00:31:53,745
over the kitchen sink
that was completely covered.

638
00:31:53,745 --> 00:31:54,879
There was a drain board there

639
00:31:54,879 --> 00:31:56,981
that had
a cork‐extracting device.

640
00:31:56,981 --> 00:32:00,785
There was a device to recork,
and there was a funnel.

641
00:32:00,785 --> 00:32:03,988
In the sink, there were two
or three bottles soaking

642
00:32:03,988 --> 00:32:05,923
so that the labels
would come off.

643
00:32:05,923 --> 00:32:07,525
Hernandez: It looked like
the whole house

644
00:32:07,525 --> 00:32:11,062
was dedicated to storing
and making wine.

645
00:32:11,062 --> 00:32:12,096
Goldberg: Rudy is running

646
00:32:12,096 --> 00:32:15,400
a "Breaking Bad" laboratory
for vino.

647
00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:17,602
♪♪

648
00:32:17,602 --> 00:32:21,339
Wynne: There was probably
15 or 20 different wines

649
00:32:21,339 --> 00:32:24,776
that he was using
to create new product.

650
00:32:24,776 --> 00:32:25,810
♪♪

651
00:32:25,810 --> 00:32:28,479
Thousands and thousands
of all sorts of labels

652
00:32:28,479 --> 00:32:30,648
branded like currency.

653
00:32:30,648 --> 00:32:34,118
Hernandez: We found a wax
and we found stamps.

654
00:32:34,118 --> 00:32:36,454
Rudy's town home
was kept really cold.

655
00:32:36,454 --> 00:32:38,423
It was 60‐something degrees.

656
00:32:38,423 --> 00:32:41,192
Wynne: It was a glorified
wine refrigerator.

657
00:32:41,192 --> 00:32:43,928
He used space heaters
in the bedrooms.

658
00:32:43,928 --> 00:32:48,333
It was the ultimate
wine‐counterfeiting facility.

659
00:32:48,333 --> 00:32:49,667
♪♪

660
00:32:49,667 --> 00:32:51,803
Mosley:
He made it so easy for the FBI.

661
00:32:51,803 --> 00:32:55,139
Just like, "Here's the crime.
Here's the crime that I did."

662
00:32:55,139 --> 00:33:01,579
♪♪

663
00:33:01,579 --> 00:33:04,248
Rudy was taking low‐end wines,

664
00:33:04,248 --> 00:33:07,018
mixing them
into some kind of Franken‐wine,

665
00:33:07,018 --> 00:33:09,754
and then placing them
in these older bottles,

666
00:33:09,754 --> 00:33:12,890
these vintage bottles.

667
00:33:12,890 --> 00:33:14,258
You know, I thought, you know,

668
00:33:14,258 --> 00:33:16,361
"Why would you do it
in your own house?"

669
00:33:16,361 --> 00:33:18,996
It's kind of nuts.

670
00:33:18,996 --> 00:33:23,301
Goldberg: It turns out the clues
were there all along.

671
00:33:23,301 --> 00:33:26,437
As they say,
let's rewind the tape.

672
00:33:26,437 --> 00:33:30,575
[ Tape rewinding ]

673
00:33:30,575 --> 00:33:33,111
Rudy seemed to have
a sentimental quirk

674
00:33:33,111 --> 00:33:36,347
at those wine dinners
where he so generously poured.

675
00:33:36,347 --> 00:33:39,317
He liked
to bring home souvenirs.

676
00:33:39,317 --> 00:33:43,921
In fact, he demanded that
all of his empties be returned.

677
00:33:43,921 --> 00:33:47,225
♪♪

678
00:33:47,225 --> 00:33:51,429
I believe almost all the time,
he would say,

679
00:33:51,429 --> 00:33:52,630
"Don't throw the bottle."

680
00:33:52,630 --> 00:34:04,475
♪♪

681
00:34:04,475 --> 00:34:07,979
We all know that once a bottle
is empty, you dispose of it

682
00:34:07,979 --> 00:34:09,580
because there's actual laws

683
00:34:09,580 --> 00:34:12,617
that prohibit you from filling
a bottle with something else.

684
00:34:12,617 --> 00:34:14,719
♪♪

685
00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:17,021
Goldberg:
But Rudy, in many cases,

686
00:34:17,021 --> 00:34:18,823
he'd refill a bottle of wine

687
00:34:18,823 --> 00:34:21,926
that already costs thousands
and sell it again

688
00:34:21,926 --> 00:34:24,929
for three or four times
the price.

689
00:34:24,929 --> 00:34:28,266
I just was absolutely stunned.

690
00:34:28,266 --> 00:34:32,069
We had this really good
friendship that was beyond wine,

691
00:34:32,069 --> 00:34:36,841
and I just felt like somebody
had cut my right arm off.

692
00:34:36,841 --> 00:34:39,510
I started asking,
"How long was this going on?

693
00:34:39,510 --> 00:34:40,711
Who knew?"

694
00:34:40,711 --> 00:34:48,453
♪♪

695
00:34:48,453 --> 00:34:49,987
Goldberg: You heard that.

696
00:34:49,987 --> 00:34:51,823
Rudy has such a good con going,

697
00:34:51,823 --> 00:34:54,025
he even told people
what he was doing

698
00:34:54,025 --> 00:34:55,460
and they thought it was a joke.

699
00:34:55,460 --> 00:34:58,229
[ Laughter ]

700
00:34:58,229 --> 00:35:00,965
He was even seeking
out publicity.

701
00:35:00,965 --> 00:35:03,301
All this video
you've been seeing

702
00:35:03,301 --> 00:35:05,903
is from a never‐aired
television pilot

703
00:35:05,903 --> 00:35:09,841
that Bill Koch actually tracked
down and bought the rights to

704
00:35:09,841 --> 00:35:12,376
while he was investigating Rudy.

705
00:35:12,376 --> 00:35:14,145
Hernandez:
Rudy is ultimately charged

706
00:35:14,145 --> 00:35:15,379
with mail and wire fraud.

707
00:35:15,379 --> 00:35:17,949
Wynne: Rudy pled not guilty
to the indictment.

708
00:35:17,949 --> 00:35:23,054
♪♪

709
00:35:23,054 --> 00:35:28,993
Hellman: So Rudy went to trial
in December of 2013.

710
00:35:28,993 --> 00:35:31,162
Goldberg: During the trial,
both Bill Koch

711
00:35:31,162 --> 00:35:33,664
and the winery owner,
Laurent Ponsot,

712
00:35:33,664 --> 00:35:35,500
testified against Rudy.

713
00:35:35,500 --> 00:35:37,101
Laurent Ponsot detests

714
00:35:37,101 --> 00:35:41,739
that Rudy Kurniawan made fake
Domaine Ponsot wines.

715
00:35:41,739 --> 00:35:43,241
He was able to testify

716
00:35:43,241 --> 00:35:46,978
that the wines
were unquestionably fake.

717
00:35:46,978 --> 00:35:49,514
Wynne: Bill Koch had testified
under oath in the trial.

718
00:35:49,514 --> 00:35:51,849
That's very, very critical.

719
00:35:51,849 --> 00:35:54,151
Goldberg: Most of the other rich
guys who were duped

720
00:35:54,151 --> 00:35:56,888
weren't even willing
to show up in court.

721
00:35:56,888 --> 00:36:00,124
It was gonna be
a too‐embarrassing situation,

722
00:36:00,124 --> 00:36:02,426
I think,
for them to get on the stand

723
00:36:02,426 --> 00:36:04,462
and be examined
and cross‐examined

724
00:36:04,462 --> 00:36:05,997
about being defrauded

725
00:36:05,997 --> 00:36:08,666
by this 35‐year‐old
illegal alien

726
00:36:08,666 --> 00:36:11,335
with an invented background
and history.

727
00:36:11,335 --> 00:36:14,605
But Bill Koch was there
from day one.

728
00:36:14,605 --> 00:36:17,341
Goldberg: Rudy was sentenced
to 10 years in prison

729
00:36:17,341 --> 00:36:21,012
and ordered to pay $28 million
in restitution.

730
00:36:21,012 --> 00:36:26,183
As of 2020, he still owed
$18 million of that.

731
00:36:26,183 --> 00:36:28,653
Wynne: In addition,

732
00:36:28,653 --> 00:36:31,923
Rudy's presence
in this country was illegal.

733
00:36:31,923 --> 00:36:34,559
And so upon the conclusion
of his incarceration,

734
00:36:34,559 --> 00:36:36,961
he's supposed to be deported.

735
00:36:36,961 --> 00:36:38,296
Goldberg:
And believe it or not,

736
00:36:38,296 --> 00:36:42,833
this is where
Donald Trump comes in.

737
00:36:42,833 --> 00:36:44,936
We'll tell you how.

738
00:36:44,936 --> 00:36:47,271
♪♪

739
00:36:53,377 --> 00:36:55,313
Goldberg:
After Rudy went to prison,

740
00:36:55,313 --> 00:36:59,083
the U. S. Marshals seized his
collection of counterfeit wine.

741
00:36:59,083 --> 00:37:00,418
[ Glass bottles shattering ]

742
00:37:00,418 --> 00:37:02,119
[ Operatic music playing ]

743
00:37:02,119 --> 00:37:10,728
♪♪

744
00:37:10,728 --> 00:37:11,996
But that doesn't mean

745
00:37:11,996 --> 00:37:15,166
that all of the bottles
have been destroyed.

746
00:37:15,166 --> 00:37:16,500
Downey: I think it's impossible
to know

747
00:37:16,500 --> 00:37:19,770
when Rudy's fake bottles
will be completely eradicated.

748
00:37:19,770 --> 00:37:21,672
♪♪

749
00:37:21,672 --> 00:37:25,509
I'm still finding Rudy's wine in
wine collections all the time.

750
00:37:25,509 --> 00:37:32,450
♪♪

751
00:37:32,450 --> 00:37:34,552
I think that they're gonna
be out there

752
00:37:34,552 --> 00:37:35,953
for a very long time.

753
00:37:35,953 --> 00:37:40,891
♪♪

754
00:37:40,891 --> 00:37:43,628
McInerney:
Rudy Kurniawan loved wine.

755
00:37:43,628 --> 00:37:44,729
It's sort of a tragedy

756
00:37:44,729 --> 00:37:48,566
that he befouled
the thing that he loved.

757
00:37:48,566 --> 00:37:51,369
Mosley: I think that Rudy was
just high on the con

758
00:37:51,369 --> 00:37:54,672
and on the excitement
of how far he could take it.

759
00:37:54,672 --> 00:37:59,043
Goldberg: In fact, the feds
found 5,000 authentic bottles

760
00:37:59,043 --> 00:38:00,311
in Rudy's collection

761
00:38:00,311 --> 00:38:02,913
and auctioned them off
to the highest bidder.

762
00:38:02,913 --> 00:38:05,483
$12,000. Any more?
$14,000.

763
00:38:05,483 --> 00:38:06,951
$14,000? 6.

764
00:38:06,951 --> 00:38:10,521
Hernandez: He did buy millions
of dollars of legitimate wine,

765
00:38:10,521 --> 00:38:14,125
and he never only sold
fake wine.

766
00:38:14,125 --> 00:38:16,093
He would mix in the real
with the fake.

767
00:38:16,093 --> 00:38:22,133
♪♪

768
00:38:22,133 --> 00:38:25,202
Hellman: You know, "Tonight,
I'm pouring the real stuff.

769
00:38:25,202 --> 00:38:26,404
You get a bottle of that.

770
00:38:26,404 --> 00:38:28,239
Tomorrow
you're gonna buy 12 bottles,

771
00:38:28,239 --> 00:38:30,775
but I made it in my kitchen."

772
00:38:30,775 --> 00:38:33,077
It's the old bait and switch.

773
00:38:33,077 --> 00:38:35,346
Goldberg: You know,
the centerpiece of a con

774
00:38:35,346 --> 00:38:38,482
is that the victim needs to want
something very badly

775
00:38:38,482 --> 00:38:41,852
and the con man
is there to supply it.

776
00:38:41,852 --> 00:38:43,287
Barzelay:
They wanted to believe

777
00:38:43,287 --> 00:38:48,959
that their money got them things
that no one else could have.

778
00:38:48,959 --> 00:38:51,262
Goldberg:
Billionaire Bill Koch ‐‐

779
00:38:51,262 --> 00:38:55,833
he sued Rudy, who settled
with him for $3 million.

780
00:38:55,833 --> 00:39:00,838
Who would like to guess whether
Rudy will ever pay that back?

781
00:39:00,838 --> 00:39:02,139
Goldstein: Nope.

782
00:39:02,139 --> 00:39:04,208
I would argue
that he did that,

783
00:39:04,208 --> 00:39:06,944
knowing that he was
never going to live up to it.

784
00:39:06,944 --> 00:39:09,780
Mosley:
Rudy created his own market.

785
00:39:09,780 --> 00:39:13,084
He inflated the prices of wine,

786
00:39:13,084 --> 00:39:15,619
and then he created
his own product

787
00:39:15,619 --> 00:39:19,490
to sell to these same
rich people for a higher price.

788
00:39:19,490 --> 00:39:21,025
♪♪

789
00:39:21,025 --> 00:39:22,093
Sarkissian:
He thought he was so good

790
00:39:22,093 --> 00:39:23,794
that he could get away
with anything.

791
00:39:23,794 --> 00:39:29,600
I think what he felt is,
"I can remake this wine

792
00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:32,336
and nobody would know
the difference,"

793
00:39:32,336 --> 00:39:34,438
but I don't think
he did it maliciously.

794
00:39:34,438 --> 00:39:38,676
A lot of people think that wine
fraud is a victimless crime.

795
00:39:38,676 --> 00:39:42,646
But the result
of Rudy Kurniawan's fraud

796
00:39:42,646 --> 00:39:45,382
raised wine prices globally.

797
00:39:45,382 --> 00:39:47,384
♪♪

798
00:39:47,384 --> 00:39:49,286
Cornwell:
Rudy was a very intelligent guy.

799
00:39:49,286 --> 00:39:51,489
He could have made something
out of his life

800
00:39:51,489 --> 00:39:53,524
and instead he chose to cheat.

801
00:39:53,524 --> 00:39:55,326
♪♪

802
00:39:55,326 --> 00:39:59,263
Goldberg: November of 2020,
Rudy was released from prison

803
00:39:59,263 --> 00:40:01,098
and transferred to custody

804
00:40:01,098 --> 00:40:05,002
of Immigration
and Customs Enforcement, ICE.

805
00:40:05,002 --> 00:40:06,203
Now, there's still no word

806
00:40:06,203 --> 00:40:09,073
on when he'll be
deported to Indonesia.

807
00:40:09,073 --> 00:40:12,376
And this is where
the former president comes in.

808
00:40:12,376 --> 00:40:13,577
Goldstein: Several months ago,

809
00:40:13,577 --> 00:40:18,516
Rudy's lawyer asked me
if I would go to my boss

810
00:40:18,516 --> 00:40:22,820
and petition
the United States government,

811
00:40:22,820 --> 00:40:28,626
specifically President Trump,
to keep Rudy in the country.

812
00:40:28,626 --> 00:40:30,661
Goldberg:
Angling for a pardon.

813
00:40:30,661 --> 00:40:33,731
And who were they asking to call
the White House?

814
00:40:33,731 --> 00:40:36,467
Bill Koch.

815
00:40:36,467 --> 00:40:40,271
And of course, I looked at it
and said, "That's crazy."

816
00:40:40,271 --> 00:40:42,239
And I said, "Hell no."

817
00:40:42,239 --> 00:40:43,607
Bill's never called
the President

818
00:40:43,607 --> 00:40:47,144
and asked for favors
on anything.

819
00:40:47,144 --> 00:40:51,115
And why would he do it
for somebody who swindled him?

820
00:40:51,115 --> 00:40:53,884
I mean, that's ‐‐
It was ludicrous.

821
00:40:53,884 --> 00:40:58,255
Goldberg: So we would like to
end with crime doesn't pay,

822
00:40:58,255 --> 00:41:02,693
but Rudy's lawyer says
he's fielding job offers for him

823
00:41:02,693 --> 00:41:07,731
after he's released to work
as a wine‐tasting consultant.

824
00:41:07,731 --> 00:41:10,401
[ Chuckling ]

825
00:41:10,401 --> 00:41:14,138
Wynne: Once Rudy would be
released and deported,

826
00:41:14,138 --> 00:41:19,410
there is no constraints
or limits

827
00:41:19,410 --> 00:41:23,280
that the U. S. government
will be able to put on him.

828
00:41:23,280 --> 00:41:24,715
Goldberg: Who knows?

829
00:41:24,715 --> 00:41:27,818
Maybe this isn't the last
we'll hear from Rudy Kurniawan.

830
00:41:27,818 --> 00:41:32,590
After all, Indonesia is only
a short hop from Hong Kong.

831
00:41:32,590 --> 00:41:35,326
Wealthy people, fine wine.

832
00:41:35,326 --> 00:41:38,662
And I hear
the market is booming.

833
00:41:38,662 --> 00:41:42,900
Rudy Kurniawan is a con artist,
just plain and simple.

834
00:41:42,900 --> 00:41:45,236
Goldberg:
Hey, I'll drink to that.

835
00:41:45,236 --> 00:41:46,303
‐‐ Captions by VITAC ‐‐