Merinoff Hits Back at Empire Merchants

Last month New York wholesaler Empire Merchants hit its co-owner Charlie Merinoff, as well as Breakthru Beverage chief Greg Baird and the company's Maryland subsidiary Reliable Churchill, with a civil suit alleging they defrauded Empire by participating in a bootlegging scheme from Maryland to New York [see WSD 09-20-2016].BACKGROUND. Empire is co-owned by the Merinoff/Drucker family and the Magliocco family. The complaint alleges Charlie, who is also the co-chairman of Breakthru, and Greg "directed and participated in the Maryland bootlegging