Tainted Wine: 6

Summary

Blood Vines: Episode 6 - "Tainted Wine"

Host: Chris Walker
Producer: Foxtopus Ink
Release Date: May 27, 2025

---

Overview

In Episode 6 of Blood Vines, investigative journalist Chris Walker delves deeper into the labyrinthine saga of the Licciardi family, unraveling the complex interplay of greed, betrayal, and murder that fueled one of the largest wine scams in U.S. history. This episode, titled "Tainted Wine," focuses on the pivotal events surrounding the grape fraud case, the ensuing familial discord, and the relentless pursuit of justice following the mysterious murder of patriarch Jack Licciardi.

---

The Grape Fraud Case and Delicato Vineyards

As the calendar turned to 1992, Michael Licciardi found a glimmer of hope amid his legal battles. Despite a jury's conviction six months prior, new evidence emerged that implicated Delicato Vineyards in the grape fraud scheme.

• Federal Indictment Against Delicato Vineyards:

  • Chris Walker: "A new indictment revealed some mischief Michael hadn't been aware of. It stretched back to 1988, when investigators first alerted the winery that it had received 15 loads of mislabeled Zinfandel." [00:55]

• Delicato's Misconduct:

  • Steve Lapham, Federal Prosecutor: "When we inform them that they had gotten tainted wine, then the process commences whether that wine is going to be decertified as whatever variety it is." [01:53]

Despite regulatory warnings, Delicato deceitfully released mislabeled Zinfandel under the original labels, leading to significant legal repercussions.

• Michael Licciardi on Delicato's Actions:
  • Michael Licciardi: "In fact, they had the bad taste to try and cover up their tainted wine." [03:05]

Ultimately, Delicato Vineyards negotiated a plea deal, paying a record $1 million fine and seeing its president, Anthony Indelicato, resign and divest his ownership stake.

• Chris Walker: "Michael held little sympathy for his father's old pal. This was a chance to prove what he'd been saying all along." [04:55]

---

Family Tensions and the Murder of Jack Licciardi

The Licciardi family's unity began to fracture under the weight of legal battles and personal vendettas. Michael harbored suspicions that his brother Robert was responsible for their father's murder, believing it was a strategic move to derail his trial.

• Norma Licciardi on Robert's Threats:
  • Norma Licciardi: "Robert had called me and told he was talking to me about things that can happen. ... I told him, you know, Robert, you touch my kids, I will kill You." [05:18]

To protect their children, Norma implemented a security system involving code words, concealing the family's true concerns from their daughters.

• Norma on Protecting the Children:
  • Norma Licciardi: "We had a code word for my daughters... If they gave them the code word, then it was okay that they were to go with them." [05:46]

Michael's relentless pursuit to implicate Robert included secretly recorded phone calls, where tensions flared:

• Michael Accusing Robert:
  • Michael Licciardi: "He never did a goddamn thing in your life... You want to be civil as me apologize for shooting my father, punk." [00:25]
  • Michael Licciardi: "You are or what you've done." [09:04]
  • Michael Licciardi: "Now you're a big fat liar." [09:15]

Despite over 100 recorded conversations, Robert consistently denied involvement, deflecting the accusations and focusing on financial settlements.

---

Legal Struggles and Escalating Tensions

As Michael fought to overturn his conviction, the family's legal disputes intensified. Robert's lavish lifestyle raised further suspicions among his siblings, who noticed his excessive spending and lack of income.

• Robert's Extravagance:
  • Chris Walker: "He spent money right and left on luxury items like sports cars... He made regular trips to Vegas to gamble at Caesar's Palace." [16:04]

The situation grew increasingly fraught until a significant breakthrough occurred in late 1993:

• Robert's Arrest Attempt:
  • Norma Licciardi: "That was the only night that all of us had a good sleep because they had him in jail." [11:29]

However, Robert was quickly released due to procedural shortcomings, leaving Michael and Norma frustrated and the investigation stalling.

---

Reigniting the Investigation

Jacqueline Licciardi emerged as a determined figure seeking justice for her father. Her persistent efforts led to renewed interest from the District Attorney's office, culminating in a more thorough financial investigation spearheaded by retired investigator Wayne Peterson.

• Wayne Peterson on the Investigation:
  • Wayne Peterson: "We had a box after box of records..." [23:43]
  • Wayne Peterson: "And we're looking at maybe 800,000 left in the account." [24:05]

Peterson's meticulous review uncovered anomalies in financial transactions and forged documents that tightly implicated Robert in the embezzlement and possibly, the murder.

• Discovery of Forged Documents:
  • Chris Walker: "The signature had been faked. ... It was also printed on copy paper found in Robert's home." [26:13]

---

The Grand Jury Subpoena and Robert's Flight

With mounting evidence, the District Attorney's office moved to charge Robert Licciardi with first-degree homicide. During the serving of a grand jury subpoena, Robert exhibited evasive behavior.

• Subpoena Interaction:
  • Michael Licciardi: "We thought you were stopping. Okay, here's your copy." [27:14]
  • Robert's Defiance: "Then go ahead and arrest me." [28:17]

Refusing to comply, Robert fled the courthouse, igniting a manhunt that would lead to one of the most sensational trials of the 1990s.

• Michael on Robert's Flight:
  • Michael Licciardi: "He seemed quite surprised. And I gave him the subpoena." [27:08]

---

Familial Fallout and Legal Battles

Amidst the turmoil, the entire Licciardi family became entangled in lawsuits and legal disputes, exacerbating existing tensions. Jacqueline took proactive steps to support the investigation, while other siblings like Joanna contested Michael's credibility.

• Jacqueline's Pursuit of Justice:
  • Joanna Licciardi: "I searched for and found a box of documents... Michael had stolen $200,000 from him." [16:00]

The relentless legal battles left both Robert and Michael facing uncertain futures, with their actions continuing to ripple through the wine industry and their personal lives.

---

Conclusion and Tease for the Final Episode

As the episode concludes, the stage is set for the culmination of the Licciardi saga. The audience is left anticipating the dramatic manhunt for Robert Licciardi and the resolution of the myriad legal and familial conflicts that have defined this dark chapter in California’s wine history.

• Chris Walker's Closing Remarks:
  • Chris Walker: "In our next and final episode, a manhunt ensues. But is not the only case that draws to a close." [29:36]

---

Key Takeaways

• Complex Family Dynamics: The Licciardi family's internal conflicts and legal disputes played a significant role in the unfolding of the wine fraud scandal and the murder investigation.
• Legal Maneuvering: Michael's attempts to overturn his conviction were complicated by new evidence and procedural challenges, highlighting the intricacies of legal battles within family-run businesses.
• Investigation Breakthroughs: Wayne Peterson’s financial investigation uncovered critical evidence linking Robert to fraudulent activities and the potential motive for murder.
• Impending Manhunt: Robert Licciardi’s flight from the courthouse sets the stage for a dramatic final confrontation in the series.

---

Notable Quotes

• Norma Licciardi: "Robert had called me and told he was talking to me about... making sure that I'm aware of things can happen unexpectedly." [05:18]
• Michael Licciardi: "You are or what you've done." [09:04]
• Michael Licciardi: "I've never done anything in my life. Yeah, now you're a big fat liar." [09:15]
• Wayne Peterson: "We had a box after box of records..." [23:43]
• Joanna Licciardi: "I searched for and found a box of documents..." [16:00]

---

Blood Vines continues to peel back the layers of deception and betrayal that have tainted the Californian wine industry, offering listeners a gripping narrative of ambition, familial loyalty, and the quest for truth.

Transcript

[Chris Walker]

Previously on Blood Vines.

[Michael Licciardi]

He had big ideas, big plans, and he was gonna open a recording studio and a production company.

[Norma Licciardi]

It's just the way that my brothers think. They're in it for themselves.

[Chris Walker]

Good.

[Norma Licciardi]

A little punk that wrote the company for nothing.

[Michael Licciardi]

Never did a goddamn thing in your life. I caught you up.

[Chris Walker]

I said, that's how civil is. Just civil.

[Michael Licciardi]

I told you. You want to be civil as me apologize for shooting my father, punk. He was suicidal. He's got gas going in that house, and he's got all the windows shut. I was paranoid. I suffer from bipolar disorder.

[Norma Licciardi]

They went to met at the ranch and they had a. Robert had bought this gun. So Michael shot it, and it backfired.

[Chris Walker]

As the Calendar rounded into 1992, Michael Licciardi finally got the break he was looking for. Not against his brother Robert, but in the federal grape fraud case. Although a jury had determined Michael's guilt six months earlier, new evidence surfaced right as Michael was appealing his conviction. It came in the form of a new federal indictment implicating Delicado Vineyards, the winery that Michael and his co conspirators had sold most of their mislabeled grapes to. Throughout the investigation, Delicato had always maintained its innocence in the grape switching scheme, and Michael never really had any solid evidence to prove otherwise. His suggestions of a wink and nod culture at the winery were always met with skepticism or dismissal. But the new indictment revealed some mischief Michael hadn't been aware of. It stretched back to 1988, when investigators first alerted the winery that it had received 15 loads of mislabeled Zinfandel. Here's Steve Lapham, the federal prosecutor.

[Michael Licciardi]

So when we inform them that they had gotten tainted wine, then the process commences whether that wine is going to be decertified as whatever variety it is.

[Chris Walker]

Put another way, the ATF essentially told Delicato, hey, you received a bunch of misrepresented grapes, and you can't release any wine made out of them with Zinfandel labels, because, remember, for a California wine to be labeled by its grape type, it has to contain at least 75% of that type of grape. And if there are an unknown number of misrepresented grapes in the mix, it doesn't make the cut to be labeled as a varietal wine. But the regulators also threw Delicato a bone. They told the winery that it could still release the decertified wine under a generic label, saying something like red wine blend. That way, Delicato could still get some compensation for the bogus wine. But despite the ATF's warnings, Delicato sent out thousands of gallons worth of bulk wine with the original labels, the ones calling the wine Zinfandel. And if there was any moment of realization around the screw up, Delicato didn't act on it.

[Michael Licciardi]

In fact, they had the bad taste to try and cover up their tainted wine.

[Chris Walker]

And investigators found out because when they returned to Delicato in 1989 to look at the winery's records, they noticed some suspicious entries. Someone had changed the data in Delicato's computers to make it appear like the decertified wine never left the winery. I should note that the winery declined to comment for this podcast. But rather than fight the resulting criminal indictment, Delicato Vineyards negotiated a plea deal and agreed to pay a $1 million fine. At the time, the largest fine ever levied in California's wine industry. The winery's president, Anthony Indelicato, also divested his ownership stake and resigned from the company for a period of five years. Just like his former friend, Jack Licciardi. The grape mislabeling scandal stained his reputation. But Michael held little sympathy for his father's old pal. This was a chance to prove what he'd been saying all along. That the wineries knew they were shipping out fake wines and that he should in no way receive so much blame for the fraud. He directed his lawyer to file a motion for a brand new trial. So now, with his father's murderer still on the loose and two close calls already, he just needed to stay alive long enough to prove himself in court. I'm Chris Walker, your guide in this series about the largest grape fraud in US History, the powerful family at the center of it, and how a stunning sequence of betrayals triggered the fall of a California dynasty and forever changed the way we make wine in America. From Foxapus, Inc. This is Blood Vines. Delicato's admission of guilt may have offered Michael hope for a new trial, but he also had more pressing matters to deal with. Between his brother's civil suit and his near miss at the family ranch, he viewed Robert as an ever present threat. And he wasn't the only one scared. According to his wife, Norma, Robert had.

[Norma Licciardi]

Called me and told he was talking to me about, you know, things that can happen, you know, do I know where your kids are at? He was, you know, wasn't threatening me, but making. Making sure that I'm aware of things can happen unexpectedly. And that's when I told him, you know, Robert, you touch my kids, I will kill You.

[Chris Walker]

Norma felt unnerved enough by the call that she implemented a special system for their four girls.

[Norma Licciardi]

We had a code word for my daughters. If I had to have someone pick them up, that person would have to. They would have to ask them the code word, and the person would get it from me. And if they gave them the code word, then it was okay that they were to go with them.

[Chris Walker]

Michael and Norma downplayed their daughter's questions about the code words and for the most part, made it appear like nothing out of the ordinary was happening. But in private, it was impossible not to worry about Robert. He seemed hell bent on getting his older brother out of the picture.

[Norma Licciardi]

With Michael out of the way, then Robert can come in and his mind take over the business.

[Chris Walker]

Norma and Michael remained convinced that Robert had killed Jack to ensure that Michael lost his trial. But they needed a smoking gun to prove it. And so far, none of the evidence directly implicated Robert. Sure, his fingerprints were all over the crime scene, but as his parents caretaker, that was to be expected. As for the gun itself, all the Licciardi siblings knew where Jack kept the weapon hidden under his sofa's cushion. So Michael decided to go digging for additional clues that might help detectives. And unearthed some disturbing memorabilia from Robert's drug days in the mid-80s, around the time he'd reportedly threatened his parents and sister with a gun. This included a series of notes Robert had written Michael scribbled on music notation paper, one of the pieces of sheet music. To my half brother Mike, I still love you, but you have to pay the spirit world for your dad's lies. You're gonna be crippled if you don't pay Fred's son fast the 2,000 you owe. You're getting the disease dad has. At the bottom of the paper, Robert added, I'm Fred's son. Fast Freddy. It was the same name that Robert used for his music studio in a reference to his late uncle. Did Robert have some kind of alter ego? And where did he get this idea that he was his uncle's son? I asked Robert about it. What was going on with conversations that you might have been Fred's son and not Jack's son?

[Michael Licciardi]

Yeah, I'm not sure where all that came from. I'm not sure.

[Chris Walker]

I can't really say in my conversation with Robert. He also went on to deny writing those letters to Michael. But detectives found them disturbing, especially when paired with newly raised questions about Robert's mental health. Still, it was all circumstantial to Jack's murder in 1991. The police didn't have enough to charge Robert with homicide, so Michael pressed on with his secretly recorded phone calls.

[Michael Licciardi]

What do you call it? One guy who screwed up the whole company and screwed me out of my money.

[Norma Licciardi]

Rock sticky guy, all by myself.

[Michael Licciardi]

All the rest you put together.

[Chris Walker]

Again, the quality of these tapes has degraded significantly over the years. Michael just accused Robert of screwing over the company. And Robert replied that he'd, quote, worked more than the rest of you put together. He's referring to his family members. But even through all the bickering about family and money, you can hear Michael trying to goad his brother. That's right, because I don't know who.

[Michael Licciardi]

You are or what you've done.

[Chris Walker]

He said. They don't know who you are and what you've done.

[Norma Licciardi]

Oh, come on.

[Michael Licciardi]

I've never done anything in my life. Yeah, now you're a big fat liar.

[Chris Walker]

A big fat liar, Michael called him. But Even after over 100 recorded conversations with his brother, and about a quarter of which he accused Robert of murdering their father, Michael's provocations had little effect. Robert always denied the accusations or demurred, often switching the conversation to money and including ways he and Michael could settle their civil dispute out of court. For Michael, any settlement with his brother was out of the question. In fact, his lawyer had actually turned the tables on Robert, arguing that the younger brother wasn't earning income or effectively stewarding the grape brokerage. So now it seemed likely the court would force Robert to liquidate the family business. It was a small win for Michael, but with his legal expenses from multiple cases piling up, things still felt like they were spiraling out of control. That is, until finally a breakthrough moment when Norma got a frantic call from the office of her husband's attorney.

[Norma Licciardi]

And so they called me. The office called me, that Robert was there. I go, what's he doing there? And the girls.

[Chris Walker]

She means the secretaries.

[Norma Licciardi]

The girls were upset because he was fighting with Babitsky, Michael's lawyer. I said, well, just tell him to leave. He's. No, he's not. I thought he was arguing. He was physically beaten. Babitsky up.

[Chris Walker]

Norma heard yelling in the background of the call, and she sensed an opportunity. She knew there was a good chance that Robert had a gun on him. And since Babitsky worked in a federal building, Robert could be charged with carrying a weapon on government property.

[Norma Licciardi]

And I said, don't let him out of your sight. He has a gun. He's got a gun somewhere. I said, and if it's not on him, it's somewhere in the building.

[Chris Walker]

She ended up being half right. After Babitski called the police and reported the assault, Robert fled the building. A traffic cop pulled him over as he tried to speed away in his car, and when Robert was taken to the police station for booking, officers found a loaded gun sewn beneath the seams of his jacket. So in addition to battery, Robert was charged with possession of a concealed weapon. Michael and Norma sealed celebrated when they heard the news.

[Norma Licciardi]

That was the only night that all of us had a good sleep because they had him in jail.

[Chris Walker]

But their relief wouldn't last long.

[Norma Licciardi]

The next day he got out because they couldn't get him on federal charges because they didn't find the gun on him. Oh, I was so frustrated.

[Chris Walker]

Because Robert hadn't been caught inside the government building, but rather outside of it. There was just enough reasonable doubt to claim that he never had the gun on him at the lawyer's office, so the local district attorney only moved forward with the battery charge. Robert pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, but it wasn't something he could be held in jail for. For Michael and Norma, it was just another dead end. They could feel the whole investigation into Jack's death sputtering until finally, towards the beginning of 1993, it came to a complete standstill. The case had gone cold.

[Wayne Peterson]

Craving your next action packed adventure, Audible delivers thrills of every kind on your command. Like Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, where a lone astronaut must save humanity from extinction. Narrated with stunning intensity by Ray Porter. From electrifying suspense and daring quests to spine tingling horror and romance and far off realms, unleash your adventure aside with gripping titles that'll keep you guessing. Discover exclusive Audible originals, hotly anticipated new releases and must listen bestsellers that hook you from the first minute because Audible knows there's no greater thrill than the one that speaks to you. Discover what lies beyond the edge of your seat. Start your free 30 day trial at audible.com wonderyus that's audible.com wonderyus if you were fixing your bra straps, fussing with wires, or battling your bra during this podcast, stop right now. You'll want to hear this. Those bra problems, those braw blems you thought you had to live with, ThirdLove has solved them. Their bras make it easy to get what you want, whether it's ultimate cleavage, a smooth look, or stopping your shirt buttons from pulling. With over 60 sizes, including half cups you won't find anywhere else, you'll never be stuck between two sizes that don't fit, so stop settling for bad bras. Now's the time to treat yourself and get your bra BLM solved. Save $15 on your first order with code [e-mail] this message comes from Greenlight.

[Chris Walker]

Ready to start talking to your kids about financial literacy? Meet Greenlight, the debit card and money app that teaches kids and teens how to earn, save, spend wisely and invest.

[Wayne Peterson]

With your guardrails in place.

[Chris Walker]

With Greenlight, you can send money to kids quickly, set up chores, automate allowance, and keep an eye on your kids spending with real time notifications. Join millions of parents and kids building healthy financial habits together on Greenlight. Get started risk [e-mail] wondry nearly a year passed with little movement on Jack's murder investigation and no new leads of any kind. The District Attorney's office stopped pressuring the police in large part because the DEA had recently suffered an embarrassing mistrial in a high profile murder for hire case. It involved the Seattle Seahawks, former general manager, a college football star turned assassin and a crossbow. Look it up. It's a wild story, but it meant that the DA's office was far more fixated on retrying that case than it was on prosecuting Jack's murder. So police Sergeants Williams and Capron were reassigned to other tasks within the department and finally got off Robert's back for the first time in months. For a core group of Robert's supporters, it seemed about time.

[Norma Licciardi]

I never saw Robert acting in a mean spirited way to anybody.

[Chris Walker]

That was a housekeeper who helped out at Jack's house, Mary o' Donnell, who told me she defended Robert from the beginning. She was joined by Robert's paternal aunt and despite his divorce from Annette, his former mother in law, I totally believe Robert was innocent.

[Michael Licciardi]

I thought he was at times a little strange, but I never thought him.

[Norma Licciardi]

Capable of something like that.

[Chris Walker]

But I have to say those three were decidedly in the minority. Along with Michael and Norma, most of the Licciardi family members, including all three of Robert's sisters, viewed his behavior as too suspicious to let by. As Joanna put it, family knows family.

[Norma Licciardi]

You know, especially in an Italian family like ours. You know, Italian, Sicilian.

[Chris Walker]

As the police's investigation slowed and ground to halt, a Joanna, Laura and Jacqueline could see their brother getting comfortable. Despite not bringing in any income. He spent money right and left on luxury items like sports cars. He traveled overseas to Egypt and Europe. He made regular trips to Vegas to gamble at Caesar's Palace. And while he dropped all that money on his recording studio According to David Koolhoven, the studio tech Robert had hired to help him get Fast Freddy Productions off the ground, he wasn't in much during the day, but at night you.

[Michael Licciardi]

Would see him with, you know, some women that were trophy style gals that.

[Chris Walker]

Were all primped up. Koolhoven just shook his head.

[Michael Licciardi]

He was, he was fast. I mean, Fast Freddie was definitely apropos as a moniker or his nickname, whatever.

[Chris Walker]

With all of Robert's fast and loose antics, his siblings didn't see all that much of him anymore. At least not until their mom Mary died in August 1993, ending her years long struggle with Alzheimer's. Her memorial forced a grim family reunion. All five of her children attended. Jacqueline, Joanna, Laura, Michael and Robert. But everyone was so angry with each other that hardly anyone was on speaking terms without their parents. As a North Star, distrust coursed through the family and it wasn't just aimed at Robert. There was also still a lot of animosity towards Michael regarding the Grape fraud, the scandal that had started this whole spiraling series of events. Jacqueline, the youngest sister, went so far as to write a letter to the judge in Michael's appeals case that undermined her brother's arguments. In her letter, she wrote that she'd done some sleuthing after the trial. I searched for and found a box of documents in my parents garage. And with the aid of the documents, she read through the transcripts of Michael's testimony during his initial jury trial and refuted various claims her brother had made, such as at page 116, line 15, Michael testifies that he received a $200,000 bonus from Corvette Co. In 1990. That statement could not be farther from the truth. In the summer of 1989, my father told me that Michael had stolen $200,000 from him by cashing a certificate of deposit without my father's knowledge. She's of course referencing the incident that we heard about in the last episode when both Michael and Robert apparently withdrew money from the company without their father's permission. Essentially, her letter characterized Michael as a liar before the court and she took just as much initiative against her other brother. She was fed up with the fact that Robert had been withholding important business documents needed to split up Jack's estate. A court appointed administrator didn't even know Jack's net worth or how much of it was left intact. So she eventually filed her own lawsuit against Robert, one that would remove him from any estate payments in a suit onto which Joanna, Laura and even Michael signed. And if by this point you're having trouble keeping track of all of the lawsuits within the Licciardi family. I don't blame you. Just know that almost everyone had lawyered up. Robert and Michael were both fighting multiple suits, and. And all five of the siblings faced uncertain financial futures. Because Even by late 1993, the fallout from Michael's grape cases was not over. Michael had hoped that Delicato Vineyard's guilty plea and $1 million fine would help his cause. But then the former president of Delicato Vineyards, Anthony and Delicato, provided the feds with a so called statement of facts. And in that statement, he alleged that Delicato's cover up hadn't occurred until after the crimes Michael was accused of committing. His chronology directly contradicted the argument Michael used in court, as Steve Lapham remembers.

[Michael Licciardi]

So Michael Acciardi filed a motion for a new trial claiming that we had withheld this information about Delicato being involved in the fraud. But it was a confused theory because Delicato was the victim of Licciardi's fraud, and they simply made some bad choices after learning that they had been victimized. It wasn't anywhere near the way Licciardi was trying to pitch it, which is they were in on the deal, and we failed to disclose that.

[Chris Walker]

And Lapham's argument won out before a judge. The court denied Michael's request for a new trial. So Michael and his lawyer were forced to stick with their original plan. They appealed his conviction to a higher court. Now they'd have to take their chances before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Until then, Michael's situation would remain unchanged. He was stuck in legal limbo, all the while afraid that his brother might get away with everything, including making off with their father's fortune. But if Michael felt stuck around what to do with Robert, his sister Jacqueline decided it was time to make an appeal of her own to the Stockton District Attorney. Through a lawyer, she began supplying various documents to assist in her father's murder investigation. These included real estate records, checks, and contracts she'd obtained, similar to how she'd produced documents countering Michael's testimony in his GRAPE case. Jacqueline declined to be interviewed for this podcast, but there's no doubt that after Jack's case went cold, she was the most persistent in pursuing justice for her father. She figured that if the police weren't going to do anything, maybe the DA would. Towards the end of 1993, she finally got traction when Jacqueline urged the DA's office to resurrect her father's case. County prosecutors reviewed the evidence police had collected so far. It wasn't enough to charge anyone, at least not from what prosecutors could tell. They needed someone to make dollars and cents out of all the complicated financial transactions surrounding Jack, Robert, Michael and the family business. Perhaps the motive to murder lay there. So the San Joaquin County DA's office brought in its own investigator. Not a street cop this time, but a white collar crimes guy. During the course of my reporting, he agreed to meet with me at his house.

[Michael Licciardi]

My name is Wayne Peterson. I had been an investigator for the San Joaquin County DA's office out of Stockton.

[Chris Walker]

Wayne Peterson has long been retired. He's in his 70s now, tall, lanky, with a white beard covering half his face. He lives with his wife and a big fluffy dog in a rural area surrounded by pine trees. And when I asked him to take me to the beginning of his investigation, Peterson immediately brought up Jacqueline.

[Michael Licciardi]

Jacqueline, a Chartie had mentioned to me she was there Christmas time just before Jack had been killed. And she hears her dad mention to Robert, just tell me where the money is. Tell me what happened to the money. So we decided, at least I decided I was going to look into the finances.

[Chris Walker]

Peterson started reviewing all of the bank records that police had obtained during earlier search warrants.

[Michael Licciardi]

And I'm finding a period of about 18 month period before the death and even after his death that we're not finding any of these records, these financial records.

[Chris Walker]

That was odd. But as a seasoned financial crimes investigator, Peterson at least knew where he could get them. He wrote up a new search Warrant covering those 18 months of records and issued them to the banks where Jack had held accounts. The banks didn't send him everything he was looking for, but he got a lot more than the Stockton PD had obtained.

[Michael Licciardi]

I can't remember. Just box after box of records, which.

[Chris Walker]

He spent hundreds of hours reviewing, putting transactions into databases and tracing the movements of millions of dollars. By his calculations, there should have been about $8 million in the company accounts. But we're looking at maybe 800,000 left in the account.

[Michael Licciardi]

And so we're trying to figure, well, where'd this money go?

[Chris Walker]

Of course, he had a hunch. Peterson started following Robert around. He even saw him go to a Chevy dealership one time and trade up his nearly brand new Corvette. So he's just frivolously upgrading. Yes, with the same car, new model, though. Meanwhile, Robert had no clue. Peterson was taking down all these details.

[Michael Licciardi]

Like he thought this was all behind him. The police aren't really looking at this anymore.

[Chris Walker]

And as Peterson Dug deeper, even stranger things surfaced, like a copy of Robert's divorce agreement with Annette, which he noticed had not only denied Annette any money, but also included a curious provision that prohibited the couple from, and I'll quote it, writing, publishing, communicating or filing any cause of action pertaining to the relationship between us while married and to keep our personal lives together confidential for a period of 50 years. Robert wrote that provision himself. Why was he so desperate to keep what had happened during their time together a secret? But Peterson's suspicions didn't reach a fever pitch until he discovered some peculiar irregularities on some of the checks going to Corvette Company 1.

[Michael Licciardi]

It appeared in examining some of these checks that the one may have been added at the end of the check.

[Chris Walker]

Remember, Jack had changed the name of his brokerage from Corvette Co. To Corvette Co. 1 after kicking out Michael. Peterson's discovery showed that someone had been altering old checks made out to Corvette so that the money would instead go to the new business Robert had a greater stake in. Did Jack know about this? Manipulating checks seemed out of character for the veteran grape broker. And it wasn't the only manipulation Peterson found. Yeah, I know the one. The big one was a seeming forged signature on a letter giving Robert Peter power of attorney over Jack's accounts. Yes, that was sent the day that he was murdered.

[Michael Licciardi]

Right.

[Chris Walker]

The letter in question, which gave Robert power of attorney over the company banking accounts, was signed at the bottom by Jack. Or at least it appeared to be when Peterson had it tested by a handwriting expert. The forensic examiner said the signature had been faked. And not only was it sent on the day Jack was killed, but it was also printed on copy paper found in Robert's home.

[Michael Licciardi]

Everything kept coming back to Robert Licciardi.

[Chris Walker]

Peterson kept compiling clue after clue until by the fall of 1994, the evidence he had gathered was compelling enough for the district Attorney's office to initiate grand jury proceedings. The prosecutors planned to convince a grand jury to charge Robert with first degree homicide. And the DA decided to give Peterson the job of serving Robert the subpoena. Peterson found an opportunity to do it at a traffic stop. When he approached Robert in his car.

[Michael Licciardi]

He seemed quite surprised. And I gave him the subpoena.

[Chris Walker]

And Peterson recorded the interaction.

[Michael Licciardi]

I'm serving a subpoena grand jury to the death of Jack Ricciardi. The date is 10:17:94. The time is 3:20pM we're at dinner. Section of orange and willow. Mr. Latardi, did you understand that this grand jury subpoena commands your appearance? Yes, yes, I do. Okay. You understand failure to attend will be damned guilty of contempt of court and you can be arrested. Understand? Okay. I have no idea. You guys are police officers. Okay.

[Chris Walker]

Okay.

[Michael Licciardi]

We thought you were stopping. Okay, this is your copy. Okay, here's the supposed to report to. Okay.

[Chris Walker]

The subpoena required Robert to appear before the grand jury that very day. So fast forward one hour and Peterson remembers being at the courthouse on the fourth floor before the grand jury room, waiting for Robert to appear.

[Michael Licciardi]

And Robert steps out of the elevator and I directed him where he needed to appear.

[Chris Walker]

The investigator assumed Robert was going to follow his directions. But Robert hesitated, looking uneasy. Peterson warned him again that failing to appear before the grand jury would result in a charge for contempt of court. Robert turned towards the investigator and with palms held out, declared, then go ahead and arrest me. Peterson could do nothing but stare at Robert dumbfounded.

[Michael Licciardi]

And he suddenly turned and he just kind of ignored me and left.

[Chris Walker]

It took Peterson a second to register what was happening. Happening. He caught the elevator doors just before they closed. And as the two rode the elevator down to the lobby, Peterson reminded Robert again that he could be charged with contempt. Robert just stared ahead, and as soon as the elevator doors opened upon the lobby, he bolted. He went right out of the courthouse exit without looking back. And by now, Peterson was racing too, back up to the fourth floor courtroom. He had to tell the guest county prosecutors the latest twist in the case, that Robert was making a run for it. In our next and final episode, a manhunt ensues.

[Michael Licciardi]

He jumps on the freeway, which leads.

[Chris Walker]

To one of the most sensational trials of the 1990s. But is not the only case that draws to a close.

[Michael Licciardi]

Ultimately, I think we wound up prosecuting about 17 individuals and four or five wineries.

[Chris Walker]

So what is the fallout after everything's said and done for both the wine industry and the Licciardi family?

[Michael Licciardi]

First, we have to come to understanding.

[Norma Licciardi]

That, you know, none of us know exactly what happened.

[Chris Walker]

We'll wrap all those loose ends in our seventh and final episode of Blood Vines. Blood Vines is a production of Fox to Pasink. Our executive producers are Laura Krantz and Scott Carney. Story editing is done by Alicia Lincoln and Laura Krantz. Blood Vines is scored and mixed by Louis Weeks. I'm your host and creator, Chris Walker. This podcast was made possible in part by the Fund for Investigative Journalism. If you're enjoying Blood Vines, please leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts and please share it with your friends. It really helps more people find out about our show.