"A former project manager for Francis Ford Coppola's Inglenook Winery in Rutherford is now facing criminal charges accusing him of taking $1.2 million from the sale of wine tanks and using the money for home improvements without the owner's permission. George Giles Beeker III was charged Oct. 2 with grand theft and embezzlement, according to the Napa County District Attorney's Office."
"Beeker began working with Inglenook in 2019 to help oversee construction of a winemaking facility in Rutherford. Prosecutors said he bought 120 fermentation tanks for the project, then sold 26 of them between December 2021 and January 2022. The sale brought in $1.2 million. Court records say Beeker used the proceeds for improvements on a property connected to the winery. He has maintained that he was authorized to sell the tanks and direct the funds to that property."
George Giles Beeker III was charged Oct. 2 with grand theft and embezzlement by the Napa County District Attorney's Office and faces up to six years in prison if convicted. Prosecutors say Beeker bought 120 fermentation tanks for an Inglenook winemaking project, sold 26 between December 2021 and January 2022, and received $1.2 million. Court records allege he used the proceeds for improvements on a property connected to the winery. Beeker denies wrongdoing and says he sold the tanks with approval and directed funds to a winery-owned project. Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery filed a civil suit seeking more than $2.1 million and names Calistoga Vintner Services as a defendant. A warrant issued Oct. 9 remains active and Beeker has not been arrested.
Read at The Mercury News
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]