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Previous Page Next PageA British holidaymaker has been arrested in the US after allegedly posing as an event planner to steal £30,000 worth of wine from a fancy restaurant.
Mother-of-three Natali Ray has been charged with grand larceny and other offences after several bottles of fine wine went missing from the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti estate in Boyce, Virginia, earlier this month.
Ray, from Herne Bay, Kent, is accused of posing as the assistant to a wealthy wine connoisseur to distract the cellar’s wine waiter.
While the sommelier was distracted, an accomplice is alleged to have put six bottles of wine into specially-adapted pockets in his overcoat.
CCTV obtained by the Daily Mail shows 56-year-old Ray visiting the wine cellar, reportedly wearing a wig, a wool coat and a red silk scarf.
It is believed this was to deliberately distract staff with her back story about a possible lucrative booking.
The other suspect wore a grey wig, thick glasses and a long overcoat.
Ray allegedly told the L’Auberge Provencale receptionist that her name was ‘Stephanie Baker’ and that she was a personal assistant to a Canadian businesswoman who wanted to host a 25-person dinner.
Natali Ray is facing up to 50 years in US prison
To see the cellar, Ray reportedly asked to see the space to ensure it was temperature controlled.
Mr Borel, the receptionist, agreed and took the pair through the three dining rooms and into the cellar.
Once in the cellar, the man replaced the stole fine wine with bottles of cheap substitutes, which police believe suggests the theft was carefully planned.
Mr Borel told the Daily Mail: ‘With the power of suggestion she got me to move around the cellar where certain countries were kept, doing so allowed the other man to be out of sight, just long enough to line his pockets with lots of wine.’
After asking Mr Borel for American wines she could take a picture of, the man with her gave her a signal, the receptionist alleges.
The man apparently seemed to struggle to walk up the stairs, which Mr Borel said he believes was because of the bottles in his pockets.
The suspects were then chased, with one of the waiters grabbing Ray while the man drove away in an SUV.
The pair were led through three dining rooms and into the cellar where the fine wine were stored
A regular customer, Ryan Dotson, got into his $200,000 Porsche Panamera and tried to chase the man with another waiter from the restaurant.
But their chase was cut short after they were hit by another vehicle.
Later on, the workers found two of the stolen bottles -a 2019 Échézeaux and a 2021 Grands Échézeaux – lying on the grounds of the estate.
The six other bottles, collectively valued at around £31,500, are still missing.
Police have notified nearby auction houses in case the suspect tries to sell the wine, but they believe the bottles are long gone.
The man managed to escape by driving away in an SUV
Ray reportedly told Mr Borel that she had been abducted by the man to take part in the heist.
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Clarke County Sheriff Travis Sumption told the Daily Mail that he believed the alleged crime was ‘orchestrated and planned’ but would not comment further.
According to court records seen by the Daily Mail, Ray has been charged with grand larceny, conspiracy to commit grand larceny and defrauding an innkeeper.
Ray is currently being held at the Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center. She is due in court on December 3 and could face up to 50 years in prison if convicted.
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