Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau TTB,update

 

Electronic Payment Mandate March 6, 2026 Federal Charges in Alcohol Industry Bribery and Obstruction Scheme A federal grand jury has indicted five former employees of an alcohol distribution company with offices in Northern and Southern California for their roles in a scheme to bribe grocery store alcohol buyers and conceal bribes with false and forged financial documentation. A salesman for a Napa winery was also charged with bribery and making false statements. According to the indictment, former employees of an alcohol distribution company, identified as Distributor-1, devised and participated in a scheme to provide bribes to employees of retail grocery chains to increase the purchases of certain alcohol brands and to obstruct any investigations into the bribes by creating and maintaining false financial documents to conceal these bribes. The indictment explains that employees and suppliers of Distributor-1 knew that the distribution company and its partners were prohibited from paying bribes to alcohol retailers and wholesalers to purchase certain brands to the exclusion of others, and that the distribution company was subject to audit and inspection by TTB, which is the federal entity responsible for ensuring compliance with trade practice laws and regulations in the alcohol industry. If convicted, defendants face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of conspiracy in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, interstate travel in aid of racketeering enterprise – bribery in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1952(a)(3), and false statements in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2); and 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for falsification of records to obstruct investigations in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1519.   Read TTB Press Release FY-26-1 Resources for Low and No Alcohol Beverages Photo credit: Google Gemini 3 Low and no alcohol beverages are trending with consumers, and many of you have questions about how these products are regulated by TTB. These presentations given at recent conferences may hold the answers you are looking for!   Where to Start.  Check out our new Federal Regulation of Low and No Alcohol Beverages presentation. Here, we break down which laws and regulations apply to low and no alcohol wines, distilled spirits, and beers, including any TTB permits required for production and how to comply with any relevant labeling requirements.   Additional Info on Beer.  If you are interested specifically in low and no alcohol beer, be sure to watch our video Beyond Traditional Beers: Low/No Alcohol Beer, Hard Seltzers, and Hard Kombuchas or download the presentation. We walk you through the definitions of alcohol free and non-alcoholic beer and malt beverage products and outline how they are regulated, including important distinctions between the two.   Stay tuned over the next few weeks for additional articles on this hot topic!   TTB Presentations Visit Us at WiVi Central Coast! If you plan to attend WiVi Central Coast in Paso Robles, CA, come visit the TTB team on March 12. Specialists will be available throughout the conference to answer questions at Booth 502.   Whether you want to learn more about wine labeling, have questions about compliance, or would just like to say hello – come see our team!   TTB Wine Resources What's Trending on TTB.gov: Tax Audit Tax Rates Due Dates for Tax Returns Quick Reference Guide to Wine Excise Tax Tax Collections Due Dates for Operational Reports Upcoming TTB Outreach Activities March 12: WiVi Central Coast March 16-17: NABCA Legal Symposium March 17: NW Cider Symposium March 25-26: Eastern Winery Exposition For More TTB News TTB.gov

---

---

This email was sent to politikimx@gmail.com using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: TTB.gov · 1310 G Street, NW, Box 12 · Washington, DC 20005 · 202-453-2000