On account of its glamorous aesthetics and obscene margins, the American liquor business attracts more than its fair share of greasy characters, ludicrous schemes, and petty corruption. This makes it lots of fun to cover as a journalist, but much less fun for the vast majority of honest people just trying to make a living in the trade without getting caught up in its muck.
Occasionally, celebrities—with their money, limelight, and limited understanding for the booze industry’s vulgar idiosyncrasies—get suckered into spirits-based seediness, too. Stars, they’re just like us! Until last week, I considered 50 Cent’s tremendously messy fraud suits against former brand managers of his spirits portfolio the best recent exemplar of an A-list alcohol deal gone bad. But lo, from my one-time newsroom in Charleston, South Carolina, a new contender for this dubious title has emerged. Wake up babe, new celeb liquor bamboozle just dropped.