20 years in prison for the wrong grapes

California winemaker faces up to 20 years in prison for false labeling of the wine as Cabernet Sauvignon from NAPA.

Just a few weeks after serving a year behind bars for stealing grapes, the former winemaker of NAPA valley was arrested in connection with Federal charges of causing damage to other wineries by nearly $2.5 million by marking grapes like Cabernet from NAPA Valley that was not.

If the accusation is proved, Jeffrey hill can sit for 20 years (maximum) and to pay up to $250,000 fine.

In the indictment, the verdict does not specify what the former head of the now closed Hill Wine Company gave for napsi Cabernet. But there are some details of the criminal scheme.

Hill sold the grape and bulk (wine material) in 2012 and 2013 at least three companies. The largest delivery was for Don Sebastiani & Sons, a large manufacturer who paid hill $1.9 million.

According to the indictment, hill was intercepted trucks with grapes and substituted the accompanying documents to false, indicating that the grapes come from NAPA Valley. He also forged the bills of lading and other documents, moving the wine between their warehouses to confuse the origin of goods, and asked suppliers not from the NAPA Valley never to mention that his company buys their grapes.

Although the prosecution said, which was sold grapes and bulk, there was no mention of what happened to them in the future.

According to the Us Department of Agriculture, in 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon from NAPA were sold at an average of $5000 per ton. For comparison, the average price of Cabernet in the state was $1385 per ton, and, for example, a Cabernet from California’s Central Valley – and all for $700.

But if it was not Cabernet Sauvignon, the grapes could be even cheaper. Merlot is the most likely candidate for replacement – sold at $800 per ton on average in the state and only $550 in the Central Valley.

The indictment does not say how authorities became aware of the new scheme hill. But his last year’s charge of stealing grapes was filed after one of his employees in conversation with an employee of Howell Mountain Vineyard blurted out that hill does not consider part of the grapes, sending the unaccounted basket on his own winery. Hilo did not challenge him sane theft and spent a year in Federal prison. Hill Wine Company declared bankruptcy in 2014, although their website is still live their lives.

In a recent statement, the prosecution stated that hill was instructed by the grape pickers to specify inappropriate reality the origin and varieties of these berries.

When the Department of justice was asked, not whether they refer to crimes in the wine sector more seriously than in previous years, a spokesman said: “Any fraud is important for us. In this case, we have 4 cases of mail fraud and 4 cases of electronic fraud. Of course, we treated them seriously.”

Director of public relations of the Association of winemakers of NAPA Valley, commented on the incident: “Words “NAPA Valley” is not just words. They determine the official U.S. wine region that has a reputation in the world of quality wines. On the label should not be specified that the grapes from NAPA Valley, if this is not true.”