Three detectives from the New York Police Department were hit with criminal charges after allegedly stealing $3,000 worth of Ace of Spades champagne from the VIP section at the 2022 Electric Zoo festival. The champagne brand is famously owned by Jay-Z.
On Monday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced Jonathan Gonzalez, 33, and Wojciech Czech, 44, are each facing a charge of grand larceny in the fourth degree and criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree over the incident at E Zoo.
Both charges are considered felonies, and Bragg’s office also stated Gonzalez and a third detective, Warren Golden, 31, were also hit with a charge each of official misconduct.
According to court documents, Gonzalez, Czech and Golden were on duty for narcotics enforcement at the festival on Randall’s Island. They ended up in the VIP area where a group ordered bottles of Ace of Spades at a nearby table.
The festival-goers stepped away from the table and Gonzalez lifted two unopened bottles of Ace, which cost a total of $2,900, and placed them on a table where he, Czech and Golden were standing as he left to get a book bag. Czech handed the bottles to Gonzalez, who placed them into the bag and when one of the festival attendees saw what happened the detectives left the scene.
The detectives were eventually stopped by one of the festival’s security officers and were confronted by two of the festival attendees. The bottles were then taken from Gonzalez’s bag and returned to the group while the security officer notified his employer, who then reached out to the NYPD.
“In addition to the alleged theft that occurred, none of the Officers working at the event stepped up and stopped this activity,” Bragg said in a statement. “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.”
Billboard acquired a statement from the NYPD that read: “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 will continue to pursue the facts in this investigation and initiate further discipline where appropriate.”
There’s no word on what sentences the detectives could face if they’re convicted of the crime. Fourth-degree grand larceny and possession of stolen property charges can land someone in prison for 4 years under New York law. But criminal sentences can change thanks to several factors, such as potential cooperation by defendants, which could result in them getting probation and fines.
