Fate of fine wine in Arthur Goldman's case is uncertain ($125K of Wine Down the Drain?)

Philadelphia Inquirer ^ | 08/22/2014 | Tricia L. Nadolny

[Kid Shelleen]

The lawyer who peddled fine wines from his Main Line home made out with probation and community service.

His wine might not fare as well.

Police want to destroy the 2,426 bottles they seized in January from Arthur Goldman's Malvern home, the typical fate for bootleg booze.

But this collection is not a typical bounty.

It's far more valuable.

[Cowboy Bob]

They destroyed priceless ivory carvings the other day, why not expensive wine!

[Svartalfiar]

Priorities. I’m guessing the guy didn’t have a dog for them to shoot either, so now they’re just pissed and want to dump it all.

[Snickering Hound]

[from occupied ga]

destroying things, looting hard earned wealth, squandering resources on impossible things, destroying freedom. This is what government revels in

[W.]

Ralph Wiggum [to somebody]: “You sound like mommy after a box of wine!”

[HiTech RedNeck]

It is all about pride and power.

[jameslalor]

The article appears to be shilling for a lawyer.

At an average of about $50 per bottle, we’re not talking a significant loss to the world of culture, we’re talking mass-market 2-year-old California wines. We’re also talking a lawyer who thought he could run the equivalent of an unlicensed and illegal liquor store.

Granted, I don’t agree with the laws in question, but come the hell on people, we’re not going to be holding police auctions for mass-produced 2 year old California wine. The time and costs incurred by a department trying to sell what is effectively normal store goods, coupled with the likely lower prices they could expect from the type of parties that frequent police and sheriff’s auctions, means that it’s just not going to be cost effective to try to sell.

If the lawyer disagreed with the areas liquor laws, a voter initiative or an advocacy campaign would have been sufficient to open up the local markets. However, the lawyer in question appears to have realized that he could have personally benefited more from keeping it illegal and enjoying a captive market among his connected friends and coworkers.