During the 2022 Electric Zoo Festival, two NYPD cops are charged by authorities in New York of stealing over $3,000 worth of Jay-Z’s Ace of Spades champagne.
According to XXL, Jonathan Gonzalez, 33, and Wojciech Czech, 44, were the officers suspected of taking the bottles. Grand larceny in the fourth degree and criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree are the allegations levied against them. Warren Golden, another cop allegedly implicated in the heist, is accused of official misconduct.
In a statement, Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, revealed other officers who were on duty at the event did not take any action. “In addition to the alleged theft that occurred, none of the Officers working at the event stepped up and stopped this activity,” Bragg said. “Public confidence in the criminal justice system depends on members of law enforcement acting with the utmost integrity while on duty and following the same rules that apply to everyone else.”
Prosecutors stated that Gonzalez and Czech removed two Ace of Spades bottles from a VIP area after realizing the concertgoers who had bought the drinks had departed that area. Gonzalez and Czech were among the three cops indicted in connection with the crime. Golden was reportedly around when the theft took place.
Two concertgoers who saw the officers ultimately reported them to security. The value of the two bottles was $2,900. “As a result of the continuing joint investigation with the Internal Affairs Bureau and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, two NYPD officers were arrested and subsequently suspended from duty today,” the NYPD said in a statement to Billboard.
“The NYPD will continue to pursue the facts in this investigation and initiate further discipline where appropriate.”
As How Africa previously reported, over 500,000 bottles of Armand de Brignac, often known as “Ace of Spades,” were sold in North America, Asia, and Europe in 2019.
In 2016, Jay-Z and a partner purchased a 50% ownership in Armand de Brignac. Subsequently, Jay-Z bought the full 50% of the company before selling the remaining 50% to Mot Hennessy, the premium wine and spirits business of global luxury conglomerate LVMH.