Sunday, April 12, 2009

Bribes for booze licenses

From WCBS880:

The Inspector General raided the Harlem office of the NY State Liquor Authority this morning in an investigation into possible corruption and bribe receiving by state employees for liquor licenses.

WCBS 880 is learning Investigators questioned all 24 employees of the licensing bureau to see what they knew about the bribery scheme and why they failed to report it, which is their legal obligation under the state Executive Law.

"We believe employees are fast-tracking liquor licenses in exchange for gratuities, at the expense of legitimate applicants. Our goal is to level the playing field and make the State Liquor Authority more responsive to the community," said First Deputy Inspector General Kelly Donovan.


And from the Daily News:

"Handlers" would steer applications to certain employees, who would move that application to the top of the deck.

Then the employee would get a little "'thank you,' sometimes cash, sometimes something else," a law enforcement source said.

The thank you's ranged from gift cards to Applebee's restaurant and department stores to bottles of booze, sources said.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Department of Buildings will be furious that they are getting in on the action. Only so many Benjamin Blindfolds to go around.

Anonymous said...

This is so unbelievably common not only for licenses but for inspections. They will flat out ask for bribes. People man..

a CB#7 member said...

Come to Flushing if you want to uncover the mother load of bribery for booze licenses!

I've already put in a call to DOI.

Nelson S said...

Its the way the world works, there's no such thing as a utopia. Its all about who you know, and what you can get. Dog eat dog

Nelson S said...

Its the way the world works, there's no such thing as a utopia. Its all about who you know, and what you can get. Dog eat dog