February 19, 2023 – There’s a scandal brewing in Oregon, where both the executive director and chairman of the state’s liquor control board have resigned under pressure from Governor Tina Kotek. Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission chairman Paul Rosenbaum resigned Thursday following the ouster of executive director Steve Marks. Marks was one of several OLCC executives implicated in an internal investigation last year that found they had diverted bottles of Pappy Van Winkle and other rare Bourbons from retail sale for their own use
The Oregonian newspaper broke details of the internal probe, which also found that the agency executives paid for the bottles and denied selling them on the secondary market.
Oregon’s attorney general has launched a criminal investigation to see whether any state ethics laws were broken.
Links: The Oregonian