A Branford wine distributor is one step closer to figuring out how nearly $250,000 worth of wine was stolen from the company.
Matthew Murphy, owner of Murphy Distributors, said the investigation started about a year ago when small amounts of inventory went missing.
"We started looking into it internally and the small amounts started adding up. And we had a large theft shortly after," said Murphy.
The theft added up to thousands of bottles of wine worth $248,000.
After a thorough investigation, police traced the thefts to a former company employee, Richard Worthington, and his alleged co-conspirator, East Haven resident David Moon.
"They were stealing the wine and selling it to other restaurants and other things in the area," Branford police Capt. Geoffrey Morgan explained.
Murphy said he and Worthington had been friends for years when he hired Worthington to work at Murphy Distributors. After two years, Murphy fired him.
Moon and Worthington have each been charged with first-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit larceny. Worthington is currently behind bars in connection with an unrelated robbery.
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How can you tell if you're drinking stolen wine?
"A couple of thousands of bottles were stolen, actually, of all values, from your entry-level Pinot Grigio to your high-end Bordeaux and burgundy," said Murphy.
If you see the back of a wine label that reads "Do Valle LLC," it belongs to his company, a licensed distributor.
If you did not buy it from Murphy, it may be stolen. It is against state law to buy liquor from someone who isn’t a licensed distributor.
Murphy has a message for anyone with a wine bottle that may be his: He is willing to work something out instead of pressing charges, as long as that person comes forward and lets him know.
Call Branford police with tips.
