A British woman is potentially facing a lengthy prison sentence for her involvement in an alleged scheme to steal high-end wine bottles.
Natali Ray, who reportedly has no prior legal issues, appeared in court at the Clark County General District Court in Virginia this week, trading her alleged wine heist disguise for a prison uniform.
This isn’t a case of simply taking a few cheap bottles from a grocery store – the wine involved is valued at tens of thousands of dollars.
The wine in question is worth about $42,000, indicating that this is not your typical everyday wine.
If found guilty, Ray could be sentenced to a significant prison term in the United States for her alleged participation.
The 56-year-old mother of three, Ray, hails from Herne Bay, a seaside town in Kent, located in southern England.
The theft involved her masquerading as an employee of a wealthy Canadian businessman interested in purchasing pricey wine, even using a disguise to be more convincing.
The target was six bottles from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, a prestigious and highly desirable vineyard located in Burgundy, France.
This vineyard produces approximately 5,000 bottles of its esteemed pinot noir annually, with bottles often fetching thousands of dollars.
Footage captured by CCTV and reported by the Daily Mail shows a woman, using the name ‘Stephanie Baker’, entering the L’Auberge Provencale Inn & Restaurant on November 19. She requested to see the wine cellar to verify it was climate-controlled.
The restaurant deemed this a reasonable request and allowed her and another suspect to view the cellar, which housed a collection of very expensive wines.
Celeste Borel, one of the restaurant’s co-owners, expressed: “We’ve been collecting wine for decades, and we’re very proud of it. We love showing people our wine cellar, it’s one of the most special parts of who we are.”
Christian Borel, a sommelier, detailed how the duo attempted to deceive the restaurant by pretending to be interested in the collection, masking their true intentions.
He said: “If they had asked directly for the Domaines de la Romanee-Conti, it would have been a red flag. So instead she was asking me things like, ‘Is this all your French wine? Where is the American wine?'”
While in the cellar, the pair allegedly hid the wine in a custom pocket within her partner’s coat.
Ray was arrested at the location, while her accomplice managed to escape. She reportedly tearfully claimed the person was an acquaintance from a cruise.
Ray faces charges of grand larceny, conspiracy to commit grand larceny, and defrauding an innkeeper, with potential penalties of up to 50 years in prison.