Shocking bribery racket at heart of America’s biggest alcohol distributor — and its Napa Valley accomplice

Business

A bribery scandal has rocked Napa Valley as workers at the country’s largest alcohol distributor were indicted for allegedly bribing an Albertsons-owned store employee for preferential product placement while falsifying documents to evade charges. The federal charges were made public Wednesday, naming five executives who are accused of bribing one employee — Patrick Briones, a lead wine buyer for the company that also owns Vons — to control which wines appeared on grocery store shelves in