Abribery scandalhas rockedNapa Valleyas workers at the country’s largest alcohol distributor were indicted for allegedly bribing an Albertsons-owned store employee for preferential product placement while falsifying documents to evade charges.
The federal charges were made public Wednesday, naming five executives who are accused of bribing one employee — Patrick Briones, a lead wine buyer for the company that also owns Vons — to control which wines appeared on grocery store shelves in California as part of an eight-year scheme from 2016 to 2024, theSan Francisco Chronicle reported.
“The behavior in question was wholly inconsistent with our policies, and we do not, and will not, tolerate it,” an Albertsons spokesperson told the Chronicle, adding that the company was cooperating with authorities.
The alleged bribes included an $11,000 hotel bill for a vacation, as well as golf trips to places like Monterey County, Maui, Las Vegas and Florida, according to the indictment.
While the company, Southern Glazer’s, was not named in the indictment, it is clear based on office locations and the employees identified as Stephen Magliocco, Michael Dehdashtian, Adrian Ruiz, Ryan Dow and Loratina “Tina” Muscara.
“We understand that five former employees of Southern Glazer’s have been charged,” Southern Glazer’s told The California Post via email Thursday.
The California Post has reached out to the individuals for comment but they are yet to respond.
“Southern Glazer’s is committed to full compliance with all applicable laws and industry regulations, and we hold ourselves and our employees to the highest standards of ethics and integrity. We have cooperated with relevant authorities and will continue to do so.” the company added.
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Under the alcohol industry’s three-tier system, producers (Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits and Roots Run Deep Winery), distributors (Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits), and retailers (Albertsons Companies) are required to operate independently to prevent favoritism, bribery and other anti-competitive practices.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
