'Bordeaux Bandit' Caught; Held as Fugitive For Connecticut

Twenty-five year old Scott M. Deluca of New York appears to have a penchant for high-end wine, but not so much for the price, police allege.

In October 2015, a man was seen leaving an area in the Octagon Restaurant in Groton, where a rather expensive bottle of wine was stored.

Shortly after he was seen near the wine, restaurant staff discovered they were missing a bottle of 1990 Chateau Petrus.

According to Wine.com, a bottle of Chateau Petrus 1990 wine costs $4,799.

The suspect was identified as Deluca and a police search begun. Deluca allegedly took bottles of wine from other establishments, including a liquor store in Benardsville, N.J.

The search ended Thursday, Jan. 7, when Deluca was arrested in Smithfield, R.I., according to FOX61. The charges were reportedly not related to the alleged wine thefts.

“In a case that gained some national attention, Scott M. Deluca, the suspect in numerous thefts of rare and expensive bottles of wine was captured on Thursday, January 7th, 2016 in Smithfield, RI,” the Town of Groton Police Department noted via a Facebook post. “Deluca, dubbed the Bordeaux Bandit, faces charges in R.I., and extradition to CT and N.J. We thank all law enforcement agencies that assisted and the public who helped make this capture possible.”

Anyone with information on the alleged thefts is asked to contact Officer Wilczek at 860-441-6712 and reference case #15-2921-OF.