A Westport man named Mitchell E. Green admitted to fraudulently generating more than $two million by promoting champagne and cognac at inflated wholesale rates. He also received kickbacks for these transactions, which led to legal action by a New Jersey firm owned by rapper 50 Cent. The guilty plea was entered in federal court in Newark, and the firm involved was not particularly named in court documents but is owned by an internationally identified music star. Sire Spirits, which imports Branson cognac and Le Chemin du Roi champagne, has filed a civil suit against Greene and is awaiting a resolution.
Philip Salinger, the U.S. Lawyer for the District of New Jersey, stated Green violated his duty to his employer by secretly inflating rates and accepting kickbacks. He emphasized the significance of corporations becoming in a position to trust their agents to do company with integrity. Court documents reveal that Green produced secret side bargains with two French distilleries among June 2017 and February 2020, funneling kickbacks to a firm he founded known as K Branch Consulting. The Hoboken firm paid out almost $15 million in solutions, when Green pocketed $two.two million in unauthorized refunds.
Following a 2022 judgment awarding Sire Spirits $six.two million in damages, Greene filed for bankruptcy. Sire Spirits is presently contesting his request to delay payment of damages when his bankruptcy case is pending. Amongst his creditors listed in the bankruptcy case are 50 Cent, the Connecticut Division of Income and the Internal Income Service. Green is anticipated to be sentenced subsequent January and could face a maximum penalty of double the loss suffered by the Hoboken firm, as properly as possible prison time.
It really is worth noting that 50 Cent, a former Connecticut resident who owned a mansion in Farmington, was not too long ago recognized by Governor Ned Lamont with a statewide “50 Cent Day” proclamation. The commemoration coincided with the 50th anniversary of hip-hop music and marked 50 Cent’s overall performance in Hartford on August 11.