A New York man has been accused of exploiting Pennsylvania's liquor system by using stolen credit cards to purchase over $65,000 worth of high-end booze. Eugene Antwi, 26, allegedly conducted the scheme in over 200 online transactions between August and September last year, resulting in a staggering haul of expensive liquors from state stores across 21 counties.
According to authorities, Antwi would place orders for pricey spirits like Johnnie Walker Scotch and Don Julio tequila through Fine Wine & Good Spirits' website, often based in Philadelphia and its surrounding suburbs. However, instead of consuming the booze himself, he would pick it up in person at the store locations, with the vast majority of transactions – 134 or more – occurring between August and September last year.
The purchases involved a significant volume of liquor that far exceeded Antwi's personal consumption, prompting investigators to scrutinize his activities. While officials declined to comment on what happened to the alcohol after it was acquired by Antwi, they did emphasize that the scheme breached "what would ordinarily be considered commensurate with personal consumption."
Antwi has been charged with multiple felony counts, including identity theft, forgery, and theft by deception. His arrest in New York this week came after he was found to have an outstanding warrant.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday described Antwi's actions as a brazen attempt to defraud the state's Liquor Control Board, which oversees legitimate liquor purchases. The AG's office vowed to protect unsuspecting consumers and hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes.
According to authorities, Antwi would place orders for pricey spirits like Johnnie Walker Scotch and Don Julio tequila through Fine Wine & Good Spirits' website, often based in Philadelphia and its surrounding suburbs. However, instead of consuming the booze himself, he would pick it up in person at the store locations, with the vast majority of transactions – 134 or more – occurring between August and September last year.
The purchases involved a significant volume of liquor that far exceeded Antwi's personal consumption, prompting investigators to scrutinize his activities. While officials declined to comment on what happened to the alcohol after it was acquired by Antwi, they did emphasize that the scheme breached "what would ordinarily be considered commensurate with personal consumption."
Antwi has been charged with multiple felony counts, including identity theft, forgery, and theft by deception. His arrest in New York this week came after he was found to have an outstanding warrant.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday described Antwi's actions as a brazen attempt to defraud the state's Liquor Control Board, which oversees legitimate liquor purchases. The AG's office vowed to protect unsuspecting consumers and hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes.
, like what kinda scheme is this? 65k in booze is insane 
. And he was just placing orders online, picking it up in person... that's some genius level scamming right there 
. I mean, what's the point of all that booze, huh? Did he drink it all himself or sell it on the black market? 
i mean, you gotta feel bad for the people who were actually trying to buy that stuff and found out someone was swiping it left and right meanwhile antwi is racking up a $65k tab on stolen credit cards 
what's gonna happen to all that liquor? just wondering how he thought this whole thing would fly under the radar 
. I don't know, maybe he was just a desperate guy who got caught up in his own scheme and can't get out of it now? But still, 65 grand worth of liquor is just a lot of liquor... what's gonna happen to all that stuff anyway?
And, I guess it's good that Eugene Antwi got caught - at least he won't be able to exploit the system anymore. 
The Pennsylvania AG is doing a great job of protecting consumers too, so that's something to be thankful for! 
i feel bad for the state of pennsylvania, they're literally losing out on that kind of cash because of one person's greed. and can you believe it went on for over 200 online transactions? what's next, someone gonna try to scam the system with fake identities or something? 
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. The system is already designed to help people who really need liquor for medical reasons, so someone like this exploiting it just feels wasteful 
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It's like, what's the point of even having a system in place if people are just gonna game it like that? And the fact that he used stolen credit cards is just cherry on top 
. At least they're cracking down on these types of scams to protect innocent consumers 
. A guy gets in over $65k worth of booze and nobody thinks twice? That's just crazy talk! I mean, what are the chances someone would do that, especially with all the surveillance cameras and security measures in place? And now he's got an outstanding warrant and they're still finding out about it? It smells like a setup to me... or maybe the government is trying to distract us from something else? 
i can think of a million better ways to spend that kinda cash 
. and the fact that he was doing it all online is just crazy 
. i feel bad for the state, though - they're losing out on revenue because this dude is scamming them left and right 
65k worth of booze is CRAZY!!! who needs that much vodka i mean id rather spend it on a sick gaming PC 
felony charges r for sure & hopefully he gets locked up for a hot minute 
his credit card scam was so sneaky, but i guess you can't fool the system forever 
his online transactions went on for months, so you'd think the authorities would've sniffed out something fishy sooner 
hope he doesn't get off too easy... the liquor system needs better protection 
65k is a lotta booze tho, i wonder what he did with it all 
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. You'd think someone would've caught on by now. And what's with all the fancy spirits? Johnnie Walker and Don Julio? Dude, you're not even living large 
. But still, can't believe someone thought they could get away with this 