Wine Heist: 2 Men Charged With Transporting Stolen Goods

Alfred Georgis, 53, of Mountain View, and Davis Kiryakoz, 44, of Modesto, have been charged with conspiracy to transport stolen goods and transportation of stolen goods, announced United States Attorney Brian J. Stretch and Federal Bureau of Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Bertram Fairries.

The stolen goods are alleged to include a number of bottles of high-end wines stolen from The French Laundry in Yountville and Alexander’s Steakhouse in Cupertino. The indictment unsealed today accuses Georgis and Kiryakoz of transporting in interstate commerce stolen wines worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

According to the indictment, thefts began as early as March of 2013 when approximately 142 bottles were stolen from a San Francisco wine merchant. The indictment describes the alleged theft and transportation of additional wines, including the November 2014 burglary of approximately 39 bottles of wine from Alexander’s Steakhouse and the December 2014 burglary of about 100 bottles of valuable wines from the French Laundry.

Defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to transport stolen goods, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 and two counts of transportation of stolen goods, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2314 and 2. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or twice the gross loss, plus restitution for each violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2314.

Defendants were arrested on April 27, 2016, and made their initial appearances on April 28, 2016, in federal court in Fresno and San Jose. Kiryakoz was released and Georgis was detained pending a bail hearing scheduled for May 4, 2016, before United States Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins.

An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Napa County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police Department, San Francisco Police Department, Walnut Creek Police Department, and Carmel Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Frey is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Daniel Charlier-Smith. The case is a result of a thorough investigation and cooperation between multiple law enforcement agencies.

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