Overview
- Natali Ray pleaded guilty in Clarke County, Virginia, to grand larceny, possession of burglarious tools, and defrauding an innkeeper.
- A judge imposed a 40-year sentence with all but one year suspended, and time already served leaves her with roughly six months to serve.
- Prosecutors said the scheme was a planned heist that used wigs, a false name, and a coat with hidden pockets to remove bottles from the cellar.
- Two Domaine de la Romanée-Conti wines — a Romanée-Conti and a Richebourg — were returned through Ray’s son and lawyer, though the owners say improper storage cut their value.
- Ray is set to have 10 years of unsupervised probation after release, her alleged accomplice Nikola Krndija remains at large overseas, and deportation to the UK is likely.