(NVR) - Napa County Superior Court Judge Michael Williams sentenced former vineyard manager and winery owner Jeffry Hill to a year in jail on Tuesday for the 2013 theft of more than $50,000 worth of wine grapes from Howell Mountain Vineyard in Angwin.

The theft was discovered on Oct. 17, 2013, when Hill employee Jesus Hernandez told Howell Mountain employee Joaquin Montanez that Hill was deliberately undercounting bins of grapes and transporting the missing grapes to Hill’s Saint Helena winery, according to Howell Mountain owner David Del Dotto.

Sheriff's deputies found evidence of grapes being misdirected on Oct. 20 of that year.

In April of 2014, Hill pleaded no contest to two counts of grand theft. Soon after, Hill Winery filed for bankruptcy, leaving behind $8.6 million of liabilities.

“Mr. Hill was committing the ‘perfect crime’ until his workers spoke up,” Del Dotto said in the letter to the court. "He stole just enough grapes so that the amount fell within the margin of error.”

In court Tuesday morning, Del Dotto said he now posts security guards whenever grapes are harvested at night in his vineyards. He called Hill a “vineyard terrorist,” because of the chilling effect the thefts have had on the wine industry.

Hill’s attorney, James V. Jones of Napa, argued that the charges should be reduced from felonies to misdemeanors, because Hill had “learned his lesson,” and had already been punished enough by the bankruptcy and damage to his reputation.

Jones also argued that jail time would make it harder for his client to pay the money back.

“In terms of punishment, he has been run out of the Napa Valley. He has lost everything he had,” Jones said. “He wants to build a business to make the money to pay restitution.”

Jones also said that the stress of the case had caused Hill to have heart problems, and expressed concern that the medical condition would not be treated properly in jail.

Prosecuting attorney Bryan Tong argued that Hill’s theft should be treated as a felony, and that Hill had committed other crimes such as insurance fraud.

“It was a crime that was not spontaneous,” Tong said. “The fact that he offended before shows that he hasn’t learned his lesson.”

Del Dotto said that the losses he suffered from Hill’s systemic thefts affected the financial security of himself, his family and his employees, and argued that Hill should not spend time in county jail, but in state prison.

“If somebody walks into a bank and takes $800,000, do they walk away with a misdemeanor?” Del Dotto asked the judge.