The Oregon Department of Justice on Friday announced it would open a criminal investigation into the diversion of Kentucky bourbon by Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission officials for their own use.

The announcement comes two days after The Oregonian/OregonLive revealed that six liquor agency managers, including Executive Director Steve Marks, had diverted liquor -- in this case, scarce bottles of bourbon -- for their own use or to give as gifts. The practice was longstanding and common at the agency, which has been led by Marks, a Gov. John Kitzhaber appointee, for a decade.

Let's not forget that the OLCC director before him, Teresa Kaiser, was busted for DUI and had to resign.

You can't make this stuff up.

It sounds like a crew of people with a deep appreciation for alcohol. Given their remit, though, I wonder if the "diversions" (from where to where?) were limited to alcohol.

Give us brand names and vintages. Let us decide on the "High end" part of it.

Oregon officials lose their job after keeping rare Pappy Van Winkle bourbon for themselves

Feb. 9, 2023, 7:33 AM MST / Source: Associated Press
By The Associated Press

SALEM, Ore. — A thirst for rare bottles of bourbon appears set to have cost the executive director and other top officials of Oregon’s liquor and marijuana regulating agency their jobs.

An internal investigation by the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, obtained by The Associated Press via public records request Wednesday, concluded that Executive Director Steve Marks and five other agency officials had diverted sought-after bourbons, including Pappy Van Winkle’s 23-year-old whiskey, for their personal use.

The officials were paying for the whiskey, which can cost thousands of dollars a bottle, but they had used their knowledge and connections at the commission to obtain them, and consequently deprived members of the public of the spendy booze, the investigation said. And that violated Oregon statutes, including one that prohibits public officials from using confidential information for personal gain, the commission’s investigation said.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek on Wednesday asked the agency’s board of commissioners to remove Marks and the other implicated officials, alleging they “abused their position for personal gain.”

“This behavior is wholly unacceptable. I will not tolerate wrongful violations of our government ethics laws,” Kotek said in her letter to the board of commissioners.

In his responses to questions from the investigator, Marks denied that he had violated Oregon ethics laws and state policy. However, he acknowledged that he had received preferential treatment “to some extent” in obtaining the whiskey as a commission employee. Marks and the other officials said they never resold the whiskeys they obtained.

“This incident underlines the importance of having public accountability,” said agency spokesperson Mark Pettinger. “The OLCC will need to work on rebuilding and restoring our public trust ... and adhere to Oregon’s ethics laws.”

After taking office last month, Kotek, a Democrat who was a long-serving Oregon House speaker, asked for Marks’ resignation, but no reason was announced. Kotek said she learned of this business about the bourbon afterward.

The board of commissioners is appointed by the governor and in turn selects the executive director, according to a commission spokesman. The commissioners’ next regular meeting is next Wednesday. The agency is the state’s third-largest revenue generator.

Kotek has asked Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to conduct an independent civil investigation into the extent of any wrongdoing and recommend stronger protocols for ensuring ethics laws are followed.



In a related funny, a few years ago I won the Idaho liquer Pappy lottery and got the 15-year old version of Pappy's. Had it on my shelf waiting for a good time to open it. Well my Mother came up to visit from Australia for a month so the bottle was largely forgotten by me, since I'm not going to drink it while's she's visiting! Well the day before she leaves, she hands me $20 dollars and says "By the way, make sure you go buy yourself another bottle of that Whiskey. It tasted so much more wonderful than the stuff I buy in Australia and helped me go to sleep every night. Sorry I didn't get a chance to get another to replace it for you!"

Didn't have the hear to tell her how much it actually cost or the unlikely chance I'll be able to get another bottle any time soon! :-) Just told her it was a bit more expensive than $20/bottle, but I was glad she enjoyed it anyways! There was still about 1.5 shots left in bottle though, so I did get to taste it at least!

God love your Ma! Being elderly that 20 might be a 50 to her!

As long as it wasn't $20AUS

Hahaha! That’s a dirty deal!

Wonder how many other kickbacks and schemes they personally benefitted from over the years. If justice existed, they'd be investigated for all the years they "served."

Wow, 23 year old Pappys. That's good shit.

And I highly doubt they were paying for it with their own money, I'll bet they "bought" the bottles somehow using public funds.

I have no doubt they were paying for it with their own money as no one seems to be claiming otherwise. The issue seems to be the product never made it to the shelves where the public has a chance of buying it. I’m guessing Oregon has state owned stores, thus as a state employee or appointee buying the best stuff for yourself without giving the public a chance is not in the public’s interest.

Par for the course lefty integrity. Tip of the iceberg I'm sure.

quote:

Originally posted by Xer0:
Oregon officials lose their job after keeping rare Pappy Van Winkle bourbon for themselves

Notice that they never mentioned once in the entire article that they were Democrats?

That’s exactly how you know they were all Democrats, if they were Republicans, it would have been mentioned 29 times before the second paragraph.

SOP with Democrats who get in trouble.

ETA:

Upon reading it a second time, it appears they did mention the word “Democrat” once toward the end. Of course

Their mistake was forgetting to offer Kotek her selection as well.

quote:

Originally posted by oddball:
Wow, 23 year old Pappys. That's good shit.

And I highly doubt they were paying for it with their own money, I'll bet they "bought" the bottles somehow using public funds.

No, they probably used their own money.

If they do it like in Utah, since the liquor stores are state run, everything is sold at MSRP. That is why rare bottle like Pappy Van and Eagle Rare, etc are put on a lottery so people with connections aren't able to swoop in on stores when they know it'll be put on the shelf and buy it all up.

So these crooks likely only paid msrp for that 23 year old Pappy which is about $300. You could of course resell that at probably 5 times that amount.

My wife won a lottery here in Utah a few years ago for a 10 year old Pappy, and I only paid $70 for it. I have about one shot left of it.

quote:

Originally posted by Expert308:
Their mistake was forgetting to offer Kotek her selection as well.

A quick perusal of the inter webs says $3,000-$50,000 per bottle. Too rich for my blood and I’d imagine everyone and their brother gets in on the lottery for the quick flip money.

Back to the Old Crow for me…and glad for the medicinal value…price has to be figured in.
Yes, ring me up for this Old Crow please.

Reminds me of this case in WI a few years ago. A DNR official, maybe several, involved with the sturgeon fish program was taking the eggs and selling them or trading for caviar.

How do you plan on keeping it quiet when a handful know??

https://www.postcrescent.com/s...warnings/6635299001/

VA ABC arrested a few for similar not long ago
low level clerk (and maybe a store manager) called his buddies when the good stuff dropped and sold it to them instead of first come first serve