Nicolas De-Meyer’s trip across the U.S. wasn’t quite as glamorous as his year abroad.
The former personal assistant to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Co-President David Solomon allegedly admitted in November 2016 that he stole $1.2 million worth of rare wine from his collection and promised to meet with Solomon and his wife the next day to repay them.
Instead, prosecutors say, he fled to Italy, and spent the next 14 months in Europe and South America, visiting cities including Rome, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, before returning to the U.S. where he was arrested Jan. 16 at Los Angeles International Airport. On Tuesday, the 40-year-old is scheduled to make his first appearance before U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe in Manhattan for a procedural hearing that may nonetheless offer clues into whether De-Meyer plans to fight the charges.
De-Meyer has been in federal custody since his return. He was moved from a detention center in Los Angeles to another in Oklahoma City before being transferred to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, according to prison records.
De-Meyer worked for Solomon from 2008 until November 2016 when, prosecutors say, he admitted to stealing seven pricey bottles of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. The wine was part of the Goldman executive’s collection. In all, prosecutors say De-Meyer stole hundreds of bottles.
According testimony from an FBI agent at a Jan. 17 hearing in Los Angeles, De-Meyer admitted his theft to Solomon’s wife in a telephone conversation. But he wasn’t given assurances that he would avoid prosecution, and he fled the country. That fact, if proven by prosecutors, may work against De-Meyer’s defense should he press for a trial.
"He said he was scared he was going to be arrested and he left," Assistant U.S. Attorney Benedetto Balding told the court at the California hearing. "He left because the victim couldn’t promise that he would not be prosecuted or go to prison."
De-Meyer’s troubles began to surface last year, after losing his job with Solomon. In May American Express Co. sued him for $76,415, claiming he failed to pay off his Platinum Card account.
Solomon, 56, considered a contender to succeed Goldman Sachs Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Blankfein, is a wine collector who earned the title of Mr. Gourmet 2010 from the Society of Bacchus America. He had a 1,000-bottle wine storage area in his Manhattan residence, according to The Real Deal.
Representatives of Goldman Sachs didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.