Sherry-Lehmann Wine & Spirits, a historic New York City-based wine shop and renowned national purveyor of fine wines, was raided by the FBI and New York City Police Department on Tuesday as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
The popular Upper East Side shop was shuttered on March 10 by the New York State Liquor Authority after it failed to pay the renewal fee for its liquor license. On May 25, The New York Times reported that the store had allegedly failed to deliver a large sum of wine to customers and owed the state $2.8 million in unpaid sales taxes. Customers also reported issues receiving purchased bottles that were being stored in Wine Caves, a separate storage facility managed by the Sherry-Lehmann owners.
FBI officers were seen removing boxes from the closed Park Avenue shop during the July 18 raid. In addition to the flagship storefront, the FBI raided a seemingly unrelated office complex in Pearl River, NY, about an hour north of Manhattan. According to the New York Post, this leg of the investigation could be related to the hoard “missing” fine wines that Sherry-Lehmann customers had stored with Wine Caves.
The U.S. Justice Department has convened a federal grand jury that will hear evidence about the developing case.
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