SEATTLE — Quick Facts:
- Men pleaded guilty to arson, burglary, theft
- Stolen wine was worth $650,000
- One man could receive 9-year prison sentence
Two men pleaded guilty Monday afternoon in connection with the theft of up to $650,000 worth of wine from a wine retailer and storage facility in Seattle’s Sodo neighborhood.
The wine was stolen from wine storage lockers at Esquin Wine & Spirits in November 2013.
Prosecutors said the men also cut gas lines in an attempt to start a fire at the facility. The wine has since been recovered.
Esquin owner Chuck Le Fevre said the men focused on wine from France and Italy that they knew they could resell.
“The plan was extremely elaborate, well-planned, but fortunately, poorly executed,” said Le Fevre.
Samuel Arby Harris, 35, pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted arson, second-degree burglary and 10 counts of first-degree theft.
Luke A. Thesing, 36, pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary and nine counts of first-degree theft.
Harris could be sentenced to up to 108 months in prison and Thesing could serve as many as 68 months.
Prosecutors said they will be recommending a top-of-the-range sentence for both.
Harris also pleaded guilty to theft in a separate incident in which he stole $250,000 worth of wine from a woman in Bellevue in May 2013.
Prosecutors said the victim met Harris through relatives and hired him to build a wine storage cellar at her Bellevue business.
Police said Harris sold many of the wines in the Bellevue theft.
The men are scheduled to be sentenced July 25.
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