Christie nominates Assemblyman Dave Rible as Director of Alcoholic Beverage Control

Dave Rible

Assemblyman Dave Rible confirmed a report by InsiderNJ that Governor Christie has nominated him to be the Director of Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.  The nomination appeared on the State Senate’s website on Thursday.

“I’m humbled with the Governor’s trust and confidence and I’m excited to move the ABC in a direction that helps both current and future licenses,” Rible, of Wall Township, said in a phone interview with MMM.

Rible said he would not resign his seat in the Assembly, where he holds the #2 Republican leadership position, until his appointment is confirmed by the Senate.  Rible said he was uncertain about the timing of his confirmation.  It could happen as soon as this month, he said, or it could happen after the election in November.  He said he would stand for reelection to the Assembly if he is not confirmed before the election.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Doherty Sued For Fraud

The Emperor and Empress of Belmar.  photo via facebook

Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty has been accused of fraud, tortious interference, breach of contract and breach of covenant in suit filed against Doherty personally and the Borough of Belmar by the landlord of Salt, the Harmon Brothers’ establishment whose liquor license transfer was denied by the Borough last Spring.

The suit filed by William Wolf of Bathgate, Wegener and Wolf on behalf a Loko Co, LLC, a development company owned by Gregory Kapalko, alleges that Doherty urged Kapalko to suspend the permitting applications with the NJ DEP for the construction of the waterfront property that Loko has an agreement with the Borough to redevelop and instead enter into a Joint Venture with Ollie Klein, the owner of Klein’s Fish Market, and Stephen and Mark Coleman, Florida based real estate investors. Doherty promised that the Borough would extend the schedule of the Redevelopment Agreement  if Klein and the Colemans were involved in the project, according to the suit.  Loko complied with Doherty’s suggestion and he reneged on the deal to extend the Redevelopment Agreement.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Halfacre Joins Genova Burns

Michael Halfacre

Michael Halfacre, the former Mayor of Fair Haven, and as of this morning the former Director of the New Jersey Division of Alcohol Beverage Control, has joined the prestigious law firm of Genova Burns as Counsel.

Working from the firm’s Red Bank office, Halfacre will be a member of the Commercial Real Estate & Redevelopment and Business Law & Commercial Transactions Practice Groups.  He will also be available for consultation to the Firm’s Craft Beer, Spirits & Alcohol Law Practice Group.

“Michael’s experience running the ABC these past three years makes him an excellent choice to offer counsel to the Firm’s newly formed Craft Beer, Spirits & Alcohol Law practice group,” said Managing Partner Brian W. Kronick. “Moreover, during his many years in private practice prior to joining the Attorney General’s Office he was highly regarded for his representation of clients in business transactional work and particularly in real estate leasing and transactions. He brings those skills and strategic abilities to the Firm as well.”

In his private practice, Halfacre specialized in transactions, including sales and refinance of commercial real estate and transfers of ABC licenses.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Halfacre Leaving The Christie Administration

Michael Halfacre

Michael Halfacre submitted his resignation as Director of the New Jersey Division of Alcohol Beverage Control to Acting Attorney General John Hoffman yesterday, effective June 30,2015.

Under Halfacre’s leadership since March of 2012, the ABC is credited with cracking down on underage drinking, the sale of alcohol to the already intoxicated, and penalizing establishments that were scamming consumers by “drink substitution,” i.e. charging customers for the “top shelf” drinks they ordered while actually serving cheaper booze.

During Halfacre’s tenure, new laws were implemented for the brewing and distilling industry which have lead to an emerging micro brewing industry.  Additionally, new rules were written to regulate the direct sale of wine to consumers by out-of-state wineries.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Popular Pt. Pleasant Beach Bar Fined $500K, Suspended for 30 Days For Over-Serving Patron Killed in 2013 Crash

Photo via tikibar.com

Martell’s Tiki Bar, the popular Pt. Pleasant Beach adult playground, was fined $500,000 and will have its license to serve alcohol suspended for thirty days this fall for over-serving vodka to a female patron who caused a car crash in Old Bridge that killed her and severely injured another woman, according to a settlement with the Division of Alcohol Beverage Control announced by Acting Attorney General John Hoffman.

Ashley Sara Chieco of Wood-Ridge, then 26 years old, drank vodka at Martell’s from 11:07 am on August 16, 2013 until an hour or so before the 6 pm accident in which she was driving the wrong way on Route 18. Chieco was killed and Dana Corrar, then 55, of Old Bridge was severely injured.  Chieco left Martell’s in an SUV that did not belong to her, but looked similar to her own vehicle.  Her blood alcohol level when she died was .189, more than double the legal limit of .08, according a NJ.com report of incident.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

ABC charges two Jersey Shore establishments with liquor law violations

Trenton- Alcohol Beverage Control Director Michael Halfacre announced charges against two Jersey Shore area drinking establishments today.

Forked River House of Lacey Township is charged with serving alcohol to actually or apparently intoxicated individuals on six occasions between August of 2012 and March of 2013.  In each occasion, the patrons were arrested for driving while intoxicated after leaving the establishment.  Their blood alcohol concentration ranged from .15% to .21%.    In New Jersey, a person is guilty of drunk driving if their blood alcohol concentration is .08% or greater.

Porta, the Asbury Park pizza restaurant is charged with serving alcohol to two underage women during the summer of 2012.  Undercover investigators arrested two 20 year old women for underage drinking on June 9, 2012.  A month later investigators arrested a third 20 woman for underage drinking at Porta.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Drinking on the Today Show

The segment was bumped by the Short Hills Mall shooting story.  It is now rescheduled for Tuesday between 7:30am and 8am.

Tune into NBC Monday morning between 7:30 and 8 or set your DVR  to catch some familiar faces, including your favorite blogger, demonstrating the dangers for drinking too much during the holiday season, or anytime, especially if you plan to drive.

The Today Show, in conjunction with the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Fair Haven Police Department, hosted a holiday party for a small group of Monmouth County residents at Raven and the Peach last week.

The drinking, followed by sobriety tests and interviews, should serve as an important warning. Hopefully, those of us who participated will not look too ridiculous.

• Tweet

Restaurant Owners Must Sell Their Liquor License Due To Intoxicated Customers Deaths

The owners of Tiffany’s Restaurant in Toms River have agreed to sell the establishment’s liquor license rather than contest charges by the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control that their bartenders served drinks to visibly intoxicated patrons on three separate occasions, ABC Director Michael Halfacre announced today.

On two of those occasions, two female Tiffany’s patrons were killed in separate drunk driving crashes.  In the third, an intoxicated male motorcyclist was injured in a crash.

Bruno D’Uva Sr. and Bruno D’Uva Jr., both of whom own 30 percent of the license, and Lisa Barna, who owns 40 percent, must sell their interests in the license by July 24, 2015 and pay a fine of $200,000. ABC laws prohibit licensed establishments from selling alcoholic beverages to any patrons actually or visibly intoxicated.

Tiffany’s has four other locations in New Jersey, Peaquanock, Pine Brook, Morris Plains and Union. The liquor licenses at those locations are not impacted by this settlement.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

ABC, Cops in Shops, Preventing Underage Drinking

As Revelers Return to Jersey Shore, Cops in Shops back for 17th Year

Division of Alcohol Beverage Control graphic

BELMAR – With the business of summer getting back to usual at  the Jersey Shore, the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control today joined with other  state, county and local officials to announce the summer kickoff of its  successful “Cops in Shops” enforcement initiative.

Under  the program, local police officers work undercover in participating retail  locations. Law enforcement officials either pose as store employees or are positioned  outside the establishment to apprehend adults who attempt to purchase alcohol  for underage drinkers. Cops in Shops is a program designed by the Century  Council, a national not-for-profit organization funded by distillers. The New  Jersey Cops in Shops program is recognized nationally as a successful program.

“Hurricane Sandy did some damage, but we are proud to be back here at the Shore,” said Division  of Alcoholic Beverage Control Director Michael Halfacre. “Given the incredible  progress this area has made in the last eight months, people are again flocking  to their favorite spots along the Jersey Shore. They’re back, which means we’re back.”

“Attitudes among some adults and young people about the dangers of  underage drinking can range from indifferent to dismissive, making our job that  much more challenging. But that’s a challenge we embrace at the ABC because we  are committed to preserving the physical and emotional health of the young people in New Jersey,”  he said.

This  summer, 28 Shore police departments are participating in the program, with approximately $61,000 in funding provided by the Division of Highway Traffic  Safety.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Attorney General and Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control Announce Charges and Investigation of Popular College Bars

TRENTON –– Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa and Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control Director Michael Halfacre today announced actions to crack down on two establishments near Rutgers University and Seton Hall University accused of serving underage drinkers.

The ABC has notified Scarlet Pub in New Brunswick that it is seeking to revoke its license in connection with a July 2011 raid that resulted in the arrest of 26 people. Charges are also pending against Cryan’s Beef and Ale House in South Orange following the arrest of six underage patrons and two staff members during a sweep by the ABC in October.

“Underage drinking is a public safety issue, and it is vital that we send a clear message to license holders and those who are underage that it will not be tolerated,” Attorney General Chiesa said. “It’s important to protect the young people of New Jersey with enforcement actions like these, which deter licensees from selling to those under 21.”

In July of 2011, ABC investigators arrested 26 people, including two Scarlet Pub bartenders and a bouncer. Twenty-two patrons were charged with underage drinking, including four who were also charged with presenting a fake identification card. One additional patron was charged strictly with presenting a fake identification. Another arrested patron was also charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana. Those arrested ranged in age from 17 to 20. Scarlet Pub is located near the Rutgers University campus. The arrests were made after ABC investigators received a tip that the bar was crowded with underage drinkers.

On October 21, the Division informed the owners of the Scarlet Pub, NSAS Inc., of its intention to revoke its license. Four days later, ABC investigators visited the pub again and arrested an underage patron along with two bartenders, including Thomas Holman, 28, of Somerset, who had been issued a summons for serving alcohol to an underage person in the first incident.

“Licensees face serious consequences when they choose to serve alcohol to underage drinkers,” said Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control Director Michael Halfacre. “The most serious punishment the ABC can level is revocation, and we reserve that consequence for the most extreme violators.”

An anonymous tip also led to the arrests at Cryan’s Beef and Ale House, located less than a mile from Seton Hall University. ABC investigators were observing Cryan’s on October 18 when Ryan Buckman, 20, of Lima, N.Y., and an 18-year-old Toms River woman walked out of the establishment visibly intoxicated. According to investigators, both struggled to maintain their balance, and at one point, the woman stumbled into the path of an oncoming vehicle in a nearby street. Investigators approached both and later determined neither was 21. During questioning, the teenager lost consciousness and was later transported by ambulance from Cryan’s to a local hospital.

In addition to Buckman, ABC detectives arrested five other underage patrons during their investigation: Kelsey Marie Nichols, 20, of Morristown; Danielle Dericks, 19, of Pompton Plains; Sarah Marelli, 20, of Hazlet; Christina Caporrino, 20, of Hazlet; and Michael Gabriel, 20, of Springfield. ABC investigators later questioned two Cryan’s staff members, bartender Jeffry Varela and busboy Alexander Ledesma, both of South Orange. Ledesma, 20, was drinking during his shift and admitted to investigators that Varela had been serving him. Ledesma was arrested and Varela was issued a summons for serving alcohol to an underage person.

A review of the surveillance video of the bar, provided by Cryan’s management that night, revealed that a table had been set up just inside the entrance of the licensed premises to collect money for an open bar promotion. Cryan’s management admitted that it allowed a sorority to collect $20 per person for the two-hour event. All-You-Can-Drink promotions are not permitted under ABC law.  

 Director Halfacre said administrative charges will be filed against Cryan’s license holder, 24 First Street Inc., after the ABC investigation is concluded.  

• Tweet