Government Official to Resign After Being Accused of Abusing Power to Acquire Rare, Expensive Bourbon

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek speaks at the State Library of Oregon in Salem on Jan. 31, 2023. Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission Executive Director Steve Marks reportedly will resign after being implicated in a rare bourbon scandal. (AP Photo/Claire Rush, File)

An Oregon government official will reportedly resign from his position amid a rare bourbon scandal. Steve Marks, executive director of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, and five other senior officials last week were accused of using their positions and connections to gain access to rare, expensive bottles of bourbon.

On Monday, Portland TV station KATU reported that Marks penned a letter saying he will resign at the request of Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek. His resignation will be effective as of 5 p.m. Wednesday.

“Because I believe the governor is entitled to have her own management team, I will honor that request,” Marks said in the letter, according to KATU.

Last week, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said she would open a criminal investigation into the allegations at the request of Kotek.

On Wednesday, local Oregon media outlets and The Associated Press reported that the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission concluded an internal investigation. The investigation found that Marks and five other agency officials had “diverted” rare bourbons for “personal use.”

Kotek wrote a letter to the agency’s board of commissioners asking them to remove the implicated officials. In the letter, Kotek said they had “abused their position for personal gain.”

The officials were paying for the whiskeys, but these rare bottles, which included Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year, are essentially impossible to find for the price they retail at. These bottles regularly resell for thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars.

Read More: ‘Far Beyond Anyone’s Expectations’: Bottle of Pappy Van Winkle Expected to Sell for Below $5,000 Goes for More Than $52,000 at Auction

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