A British tourist visiting the US has been arrested after allegedly taking part in a shocking £30,000 wine theft scheme.
Natali Ray may face up to 50 years in prison after being charged with grand larceny, amongst other offences, when £30,000 worth of wine went missing during her visit to a historic luxury wine cellar.
The alleged incident took place at the respected L'Auberge Provençale Inn & Restaurant in Virginia on Wednesday last week.
During the visit, the 56-year-old is alleged to have posed as an assistant to a prominent wine expert, when she distracted the cellar’s sommelier and slipped six bottles of the iconic Domaine de la Romanée-Conti estate into specifically designed pockets in her associate’s overcoat.
In CCTV footage obtained by the Daily Mail, Ray can apparently be seen distracting staff by telling them about a possible lucrative business deal.
In the footage, a woman said to be Ray can be seen telling the receptionist of the restaurant that her name is “Stephanie Baker” and claiming she was the personal assistant to a businesswoman from Canada who had plans to host a 25-person dinner.
She detailed the event, which she said would cost an estimated $20,000, before claiming, “I've heard of your reputation”, explaining that her boss was a “wine connoisseur” and requesting to speak to Christian Borel, the sommelier.
She asked to pay a visit to the cellar to ensure it was temperature controlled, before being led there by Borel, via the three dining rooms.
Her male associate then allegedly used the distraction to snatch eight bottles, which he replaced with decoy bottles filled with cheap booze, so that their absence would not be noticed. This level of detail suggested to the police that the scheme was meticulously planned.
The footage shows staff chasing the man, and Ms Ray, who is thought to be from Kent.
Only two of the eight missing bottles were recovered - a 2019 Échézeaux and a 2021 Grands Échézeaux, which were left lying on the ground outside.
The six remaining bottles - collectively valued at $41,500, or around £31,500 – are unaccounted for.
Ms Ray was detained by police in Clarke County, Virginia, around 60 miles from Washington DC, but her suspected associate escaped.
The luxury L'Auberge restaurant is situated in a 1753 farmhouse with a well-stocked cellar which is home to 5,500 bottles of fine wine from the world's best vineyards. The cellar’s collection is thought to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The duo reportedly booked an appointment to visit the cellar on November 19, and were given a tour by Christian Borel, whose family have run L'Auberge since 1981.
Ray now faces charges of grand larceny, conspiracy to commit grand larceny and defrauding an innkeeper, according to the Daily Mail.
Travis Sumption, Clarke County Sheriff, told the Daily Mail that it was his belief that the alleged scheme was “orchestrated and planned” but did not add any further comment.
Ray is being apprehended at the Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center and will appear before a court on December 3.
Police have alerted local auction houses in case the suspect attempts to sell the wine, but does not feel confident about it being returned.
