British Woman Faces 50 Years In US Prison After Allegedly Stealing Six Bottles Of Rare Wine While On Vacation

A British woman is now facing the possibility of spending several decades behind bars in the United States after being linked to a scheme to steal a selection of high-end wine.

Natali Ray, who is said to have no prior criminal record, appeared this week in Clark County General District Court in Virginia. She traded the disguise she allegedly used during the theft for a standard-issue prison jumpsuit as she faced the judge.

To be clear, this was not a case of someone grabbing a cheap bottle off a store shelf. The wine involved was extremely valuable, with a price tag that put it far beyond everyday drinking.

In total, the stolen bottles were worth around $42,000, which shows just how exclusive the targeted collection was and why the case is being treated so seriously.

If Ray is convicted, she could spend a significant portion of her life in a US prison for her alleged role in the theft.

Ray, a 56-year-old mother of three, is originally from Herne Bay, a coastal town in Kent in southern England.

The wine was worth tens of thousands of dollars Grace Cary/Getty

The plan reportedly involved Ray posing as an employee of a wealthy Canadian buyer who was supposedly in the market for rare, collectible wine. She even wore a disguise in an effort to make the story more believable.

Their target was six bottles from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, an incredibly sought-after vineyard in Burgundy, France.

This particular vineyard produces roughly 5,000 bottles of its prized pinot noir each year, and its wines regularly sell for thousands of dollars, making them a prime target for thieves.

Natali Ray is from the UK, but could face a hefty prison sentence in the US Facebook

According to CCTV footage shared by the Daily Mail, a woman identifying herself as “Stephanie Baker” was seen entering the L’Auberge Provençale Inn & Restaurant on November 19. She asked to see the wine cellar, saying she needed to confirm it was properly climate-controlled.

The request didn’t raise any concerns at first. Staff allowed her and another person into the cellar, unaware they were being misled while standing among some of the restaurant’s most valuable bottles.

One of the restaurant’s co-owners, Celeste Borel, said: "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."

Sommelier Christian Borel later explained how the pair attempted to mask their intentions by asking questions that sounded harmless but were meant to distract from what they were truly after.

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?'"

The mom is facing a potentially lengthy prison sentence cookelma/Getty

While inside the cellar, the pair allegedly hid the bottles inside a specially modified pocket in Ray’s companion’s coat, allowing them to walk out unnoticed—at least temporarily.

Ray was arrested on the spot shortly afterward, while the man she was with managed to flee. Through tears, she reportedly told officers that he was someone she had recently met on a cruise.

Ray now faces multiple charges, including grand larceny, conspiracy to commit grand larceny, and defrauding an innkeeper. If convicted on all counts, she could face a sentence of up to 50 years in a US prison.