A group of Manhattan detectives were recently indicted after stealing booze while on the job.
District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. announced the indictment of Jonathan Gonzalez, Wojciech Czech, and Warren Golden on Monday, according to a May 15 press release. Two of the New York City Police Department detectives allegedly took two bottles of Champagne while on-duty at the Electric Zoo Music Festival and one witnessed the crime and failed to report it. Gonzalez and Czech were each charged with one count of grand larceny, and Golden and Gonzalez were each charged with one count of official misconduct.
On the evening of Sept. 3, the three detectives were posted in the New York City festival’s VIP area as narcotics enforcement. Around 7 p.m. a group of guests ordered several bottles of Armand de Brignac (also known as Ace of Spades) Champagne, which typically retails for upwards of $300 a bottle. After the patrons left the table to move around the area, Gonzalez took two unopened bottles that Czech then helped stash in a backpack. Golden witnessed the theft but did not intervene. As the three detectives left the VIP area, they were stopped by security officers. A witness who had seen the incident approached and reported it to security, and the officers searched the detectives’ bags and found the missing Champagne. Security then returned the bottles to the guests.
The two unopened bottles cost a total of $2,9000, per the police statement. (It’s unclear whether this is a retail estimation or actual cost to festival attendees.)
“In addition to the alleged theft that occurred, none of these officers stepped up and stopped this activity. Public confidence in the criminal justice system depends on members of law enforcement acting with the utmost integrity while on duty and following the same rules that apply to everyone else,” District Attorney Bragg said in the release.
