"A wine buyer for a major California grocery chain allegedly accepted lavish vacations, luxury watches, prepaid gift cards and other bribes in exchange for carrying certain wines, according to charges filed by prosecutors. The charges of commercial bribery and conspiracy to defraud the United States were filed last week in a federal court in Oakland against Newport Beach resident Patrick Briones, who had worked as an assistant sales manager for wines at Albertsons until the spring of 2024."
"The complaint does not name Albertsons as Briones' employer, but instead identifies a large national grocery store chain with 300 stores in Southern California. Albertsons confirmed its former employee's involvement, saying in a statement that the company is "committed to operating with the highest level of ethics and integrity" and that it conducts regular training to ensure employees "fully comply with all laws and regulations.""
Federal prosecutors charged Patrick Briones with commercial bribery and conspiracy to defraud the United States for allegedly accepting vacations, luxury watches, prepaid gift cards and other bribes in exchange for carrying certain wines. Court documents describe a years-long kickback scheme that influenced which wines were selected and promoted across a large grocery chain's stores. Briones allegedly demanded payments and gifts from vendors and concealed those transfers with falsified invoices in return for carrying, increasing purchases of, or prominently displaying specified wines. The complaint identifies a national chain with roughly 300 Southern California stores, and the company confirmed cooperation with authorities.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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