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PA Liquor Official Bribed for 10 Years
HARRISBURG – Former Director of Marketing and Merchandising for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, James H. Short, Jr., has been charged with a scheme to defraud the state, its citizens, and the PA-LCB of his honest services through bribes, kickbacks, and concealing information.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Short, 50, accepted benefits from a distributor and a manufacturer of alcoholic beverages sold in Pennsylvania’s state-run liquor stores. These benefits included all-expense paid golf trips, cash, gift cards, meals, and other perks over a 10-year period from 2002 to 2012.
As Director of Marketing and Merchandising, Short supervised the process of recommending which new products should be sold and which should be removed from Pennsylvania’s 500 state-run liquor stores. He failed to disclose the receipt of these items in annual financial reports he submitted to the State Ethics Commission as a public official.
Two alleged examples of all-expense paid trips to Florida were described in the charge. In February 2010, Short was taken by private jet on a golf outing to Bonita Bay, Florida, with the purpose of influencing his decision to list a particular product for sale. A similar trip in December 2011 was also part of an ongoing stream of benefits the vendor and manufacturer provided to Short.
The charge is based on Honest Services Mail Fraud, with a maximum penalty of 20 years of imprisonment, supervised release, and a fine. The case is part of a continuing investigation by the Harrisburg Office of the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael A. Consiglio.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations, and all persons charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in court. A sentence following a finding of guilt will be imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The Pennsylvania Ethics Commission initially found that Short violated the Pennsylvania Ethics Act when he accepted certain things of value charged in the present federal case. The case is expected to continue with no date yet scheduled for entry of Short’s guilty plea.
Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Public Corruption|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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