State Alcohol Law Enforcement agents said Tuesday the Mecklenburg County ABC Board and liquor company Diageo broke state laws at a holiday dinner for the board where guests sipped Dom Perignon and the company picked up the officials' $9,334 tab.
The report also details several other meals for Mecklenburg board members or employees paid for by liquor companies. One distiller treated board Chair Parks Helms and CEO Calvin McDougal to lunch at the Ritz Carlton the day before the Nov. 18 dinner at Del Frisco's steakhouse.
At Del Frisco's, attendees dined on lobster, steak and crabcakes, according to the report.
The $12,700 bill, which also covered a handful of liquor industry representatives, included $1,000 for Dom Perignon Brut 1998 champagne, $820 for Crown Royal, $599 for Don Julio tequila and nearly $1,800 for wine.
A Diageo official told investigators he has treated employees of other local ABC boards from Asheville to Wilmington.
Agents accused the Mecklenburg board of accepting illegal gifts and Diageo and its marketing director with providing the gifts and unlawfully entering an ABC store for reasons other than business. All are civil offenses.
To read the complete article, visit www.charlotteobserver.com.
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