HANOVER COUNTY, Va. — Edgar Smith Garcia, 28, of Manassas, was banned from Virginia ABC property and ordered to pay a $600 fine after pleading guilty to his role in a scheme to get rare bottles of bourbon into the hands of people who paid for that information.
The former Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) employee avoided active prison time as part of a plea deal made in Hanover County Court. Garcia pleaded guilty to computer trespass.
"Earlier this year, ABC conducted an extensive internal review of its limited availability products distribution following complaints of unfair sales activity, as well as the authority’s own observations of potential violations of alcohol beverage laws occurring. Consequently, ABC’s Bureau of Law Enforcement initiated a criminal investigation in partnership with other enforcement entities," a Virginia ABC spokesperson wrote. "During the investigation, ABC worked with the Virginia State Police Criminal Investigation Division (CID), which assisted with serving search warrants and analyzing electronic evidence seized. Evidence uncovered during the investigation led to the charges against Garcia and Adams."
Robert William Adams, 45, of Newport News, is the man investigators alleged Garica passed information about where rare bottles of bourbon were going to be sold in Virginia before that knowledge was made public.
Adams is scheduled to go to court in December on computer trespass and embezzlement charges.
"[Adams] was allegedly selling that information to buyers he contacted through online bourbon hunting groups," the Virginia ABC spokesperson said.
Virginia ABC has since changed the way it makes highly sought-after spirits available to the public. The new random distribution process for limited availability products has been in place since April 20.
