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Prosecutors say the scheme involved a group of people who
knew each other through softball and relied on workers at two
Kentucky distilleries who had been taking whiskey for at least
seven years.
The theft was discovered after Franklin County Sheriff’s
officers, acting on a tip, discovered stolen barrels of the
whiskey behind a shed on the property of Gilbert "Toby"
Curtsinger.
After recovering the barrels, the officers worked with
investigators in the state Attorney General's office to uncover
the organized plot to sell barrels and bottles of bourbon, some
rye whiskey and anabolic steroids.
The bourbon stolen included Wild Turkey, made in Lawrenceburg
south of Frankfort, and the expensive Pappy Van Winkle brand,
made by Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, prosecutors said.
The bourbon included 20-year-old Pappy Van Winkle, which can
cost more than $1,000 a bottle on the secondary market, said Tom
Fischer of BourbonBlog.com.
Investigators found that barrels and bottles were sold across
the state as part of the operation. Curtsinger, who worked at
Buffalo Trace, and Mark Searcy, who worked at Wild Turkey, had
access to the bourbon and were among those charged.
"You don't expect employees to steal from you," Sheriff Pat
Melton said. "Obviously, this was a case where you had employees
that made some very poor decisions."
The grand jury also indicted Julie Curtsinger, Ronnie Lee
Hubbard, Dusty Adkins, Christopher Preston, Joshua Preston,
Robert McKinney and Shawn Ballard on a count of engaging in
organized crime, a B felony.
None were in custody at the time of the news conference, but
officials said they had been in touch with attorneys for the
suspects and did not expect any problems.
Bourbon, which is made with at least 51 percent corn and aged in
oak barrels, is a $3 billion industry in Kentucky, according to
the Kentucky Distillers' Association. The state produces 95
percent of the world's bourbon supply.
While dozens of bottles and several barrels were recovered, it
may not be a happy ending for bourbon enthusiasts. Melton said
the barrels would need to be destroyed after the case goes to
trial, although he hopes the sealed bottles can be returned.
"That's a real shame," said Fischer, of the doomed bourbon. "I'd
love to taste it before it's destroyed."
(Reporting by Steve Bittenbender in Frankfort, Kentucky; Editing
by Mary Wisniewski and Sandra Maler)
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