Monarch Beverage Dodges Criminal Charges

Monarch Beverage, Indiana's largest beer and wine distributor, has avoided criminal charges after allegations of illegal campaign contributions surfaced earlier this year, per the Indy Star. Recall, Monarch's competitors at the Indiana Beverage Alliance (IBA) accused the company of illegally funneling campaign contributions to Indiana lawmakers [see WSD 03-29-2016].Indiana's political donation laws stipulate corporations like Monarch can only give $22,000 a year to state and local campaigns. However, Monarch's competitors claimed Monarch's affiliated promotional company, Vision Concepts, donated about $1.5