Assistant to Goldman Sachs Group co-president charged with stealing over $1.2 mn worth rare wine from his boss

A former personal assistant to Goldman Sachs Group Inc co-president David Solomon is facing federal charges of having stolen over $1.2 million of rare wine from his boss.

Nicolas De-Meyer, who worked for Solomon was arrested Tuesday night in Los Angeles. The indictment, which was unsealed yesterday in Manhattan names De Meyer.

The indictment states that the theft included seven bottles from the French estate Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, a Burgundy widely considered "among the best, most expensive and rarest wines in the world."

In all, De-Meyer stole hundreds of bottles, according to prosecutors.

Solomon, 55, is seen as a contender to succeed chief executive officer Lloyd Blankfein. The double-black-diamond skier and wine collector also earned the title of Mr Gourmet 2010 from the Society of Bacchus America.

Solomon has not been named in the indictment, but Andrew Williams, a Goldman Sachs spokesman has confirmed he was the victim.

De-Meyer, 40, allegedly used an alias, "Mark Miller," to sell bottles to a North Carolina-based wine dealer.

De-Meyer shipped wine to Solomon's Manhattan apartment and transported it to his boss's cellar in East Hampton, New York as part of his regular duties.

''Rare wines have a very specific market, but even given the narrow chance of making money illegally, thieves will find a way to break the law,'' William F Sweeney Jr, the head of the FBI's New York office, said in a statement.

De-Meyer sold the seven bottles, which his boss had purchased for $133,650, to the wine dealer and from 2014 to late 2016, De-Meyer sold bottles valued at over $1.2 million, according to the authorities.

In an interview last year, Solomon spoke about his love of great wine.

''Wine list prices are crazy right now,'' Solomon told Bloomberg Pursuits. ''I prefer to bring something with me.''