Not Drinking Bottle of Pappy Leads to Pennsylvania Man’s Demise

A cautionary tale for those considering selling booze online

By The Editors
February 29, 2016 9:00 am

Bad: getting busted on New Year’s Eve.

Worse: having to pay a minimum of $1,400 in legal fees.

The cherry on top of the sh*t sundae: losing a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle Special Reserve.

December 2015 started out so promising for Pennsylvania man Bob Monk: he won a Liquor Control Board lottery and was awarded the right to purchase a $250 bottle of the 90.4-proof, 12-year reserve bourbon for $59.99 plus tax.

Instead of holding on to the discounted booze, Monk attempted to sell the bottle on Craigslist and ended up with a buyer who was willing to pay $500. That buyer was also an undercover officer. After the December 31st transaction was complete, Monk had to drive himself to the police station to accept charges rather than of to the bank to deposit his cash, because — as we’ve told you before — selling booze on eBay or Craigslist is strictly prohibited.

To make matters worse, the bottle was confiscated, Monk had to spend $1,400 on a lawyer and is looking at an additional $1,800 in fines and fees plus a misdemeanor charge on his record if he loses in court.

While we don’t have any advice for Monk, we can offer him some words of condolence from one of history’s great philosophers in the form of a toast.

“To alcohol. The cause of — and solution to — all of life’s problems.” –Homer J. Simpson

The InsideHook Newsletter.

News, advice and insights for the most interesting person in the room.