Wash DC police union group has been selling JD SiB on the internet. BUSTED?

[Harry in WashDC]

Wash Post has an article, link below, RE: how a police "lodge" affiliated with multiple WDC area FOPs has been buying JD single barrels, getting the bottles engraved with the lodge's logo, and then selling them at a mark up on the internet and at trade fairs and conventions around the country.  Billed as "fundraising" for the lodge, the sales allowed the group to take in close to $500,000.00 over three years of which the lodge got about $11,000.00.  The group's overhead consumed the rest.   Persons who did the selling maintain that they did nothing wrong, that everybody does it, that they had no idea they needed licenses to sell interstate, that they had no idea 44 states prohibit mail/internet sales by non-licensed persons, that they had no idea federal regs curtail such sales, etc.

 

The best part is: what a cast of characters this group is.  AND, now that the lodge has ceased selling the bottles until the legal side gets sorted out, it is sitting on 1,425 bottles of JD SiB, each with the FOP lodge's seal engraved on it.  I also love the argument - these were active and retired law enforcement officers, and surely the sales were legal or they wouldn't be selling.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-police-lodge-jack-daniels-committee-investigation/2021/11/04/e035a92a-3377-11ec-a1e5-07223c50280a_story.html

[evasive]

I read that this AM. It’s quite the story. 

[Skinsfan1311]

I wouldn't mind getting a bottle...

[0895]

But do they have any Blanton’s ???

 

[G L Tirebiter]

Sounds like something out of "Car 54, Where Are You?"

 

Ooooo...ooooo....I bet Toody and Muldoon made the local NY deliveries.

[TwoFingers]

Yeah "fundraising," that the ticket.  Only 98 percent overhead.

[PaulO]

On 11/5/2021 at 12:01 PM, Harry in WashDC said:

... the sales allowed the group to take in close to $500,000.00 over three years of which the lodge got about $11,000.00.  The group's overhead consumed the rest.   Persons who did the selling maintain that they did nothing wrong, that everybody does it, that they had no idea they needed licenses to sell interstate, that they had no idea 44 states prohibit mail/internet sales by non-licensed persons, that they had no idea federal regs curtail such sales, etc.

...

Wow, that's a lot of overhead.  Time for a little forensic accounting.

 

I guess there were no excise police members either in this particular lodge, to give them a few pointers on alcohol sales. 

[Phil T]

11 hours ago, TwoFingers said:

Yeah "fundraising," that the ticket.  Only 98 percent overhead.

I will say right away. I did not read the article. But here is my take based on what has been posted. The lodge did nothing but allow their name to be used by a professional promotional company. The promo company bought and resold the bottles under the premise that it was a fundraiser for the lodge. I know in our area, people gladly support the local FOP.  What they don't share with the consumers is that they are banking all the money with the FOP actually getting a very, very small percentage .

[TwoFingers]

2 hours ago, Phil T said:

I will say right away. I did not read the article. But here is my take based on what has been posted. The lodge did nothing but allow their name to be used by a professional promotional company. The promo company bought and resold the bottles under the premise that it was a fundraiser for the lodge. I know in our area, people gladly support the local FOP.  What they don't share with the consumers is that they are banking all the money with the FOP actually getting a very, very small percentage .

What you describe does not sound like what was going on here, based on the article.  This seemed like it was going on for a few years and the lodge itself shut things down.  My take is that someone convinced the lodge this was a good thing but they finally wised up that they were being taken and put an end to it.  

[G L Tirebiter]

No one is inclined to ask any hard questions when the money is rolling in.    At least that's been my experience during 65 years on this rock....

[Harry in WashDC]

10 hours ago, Phil T said:

I will say right away. I did not read the article. But here is my take based on what has been posted. The lodge did nothing but allow their name to be used by a professional promotional company. The promo company bought and resold the bottles under the premise that it was a fundraiser for the lodge. I know in our area, people gladly support the local FOP.  What they don't share with the consumers is that they are banking all the money with the FOP actually getting a very, very small percentage .

 

7 hours ago, TwoFingers said:

What you describe does not sound like what was going on here, based on the article.  This seemed like it was going on for a few years and the lodge itself shut things down.  My take is that someone convinced the lodge this was a good thing but they finally wised up that they were being taken and put an end to it.  

As a now-retired lawyer, I'm going to say -- you both are somewhat correct (surprise, surprise!!).  It appears from some online comments by persons claiming to be Lodge members or "interested persons" that a promoter managed to offer to some Lodge officers a "deal" that was too good to be true.  But since money was involved, people who should have known better decided to go with, "Well, if you promise me it is legal, then go with it, but I'll hold YOU responsible."  Kind of like a line in the Frankie Avalon movie, "Ski Party Weekend".  Landlord says to Frankie something like, "If you tell me you won't go crazy, I'll rent to you," and Frankie answers, "Oh, you trust us and we behave.  Just like at West Point."  I remember that because, 50+ years ago, I was in the movie audience at West Point when that line was uttered.  Missed the next ten minutes of the movie from all the hooting.   IN OTHER WORDS, somebody should have done their "due diligence" but didn't.  Isn't that what an organization's "officers" are for?

 

ASIDE - Thanks for the nudge, Phil.  FOP people I know . . .