Wine Spectator: Where in the World Is Wine Counterfeiter Rudy Kurniawan?

Sometime in the late hours of November 6, infamous wine counterfeiter Rudy Kurniawan left the federal prison near El Paso where he has spent the past few years. The Indonesian national, convicted in 2013 of selling millions of dollars’ worth of fake collectible wines, did not walk through the jailhouse gates into fresh air and starlight, however.

He was handed over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has a standing deportation order for Kurniawan, who has been in the U.S. illegally for more than a dozen years. He’s currently being held at ICE’s El Paso Processing Center. But for how long and where he’ll go next is unclear.

“The feds are never ever forthcoming about that sort of thing,” said Jerome Mooney, Kurniawan’s attorney, who said he’s not sure of the timing. A spokeswoman for ICE would not comment on timing. “What happens is people sort of disappear and then reappear,” said Mooney. He confirmed that Kurniawan faces deportation, but did not know if he plans to fight it. Wine Spectator has more.—Daniel Marsteller

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