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U.S. NEWS Saturday 30 June 2018

Ringleader of whiskey theft

operation gets sentence cut

By BRUCE SCHREINER gerous offenders. received "both in and out
Associated Press Kentucky's top public of this courtroom."
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The safety official has said the Curtsinger's attorney, Whit-
ringleader of a whiskey state's prisons could run ney True Lawson, said Fri-
theft operation that's al- out of space by May 2019, day he has "suffered great-
ready a part of Kentucky possibly forcing the early ly because of his actions."
lore was sentenced to 15 release of thousands of Lawson said the case
years in prison, but his time nonviolent inmates as the amounted to a property
behind bars is ending after state continues to grapple crime, and that Curtsinger's
a month. with the effects of an opi- prior brushes with the law
A judge on Friday short- oid epidemic. were limited to a couple of
ened the jail time for ex-dis- Curtsinger, a former Buffalo minor traffic offenses.
tillery worker Gilbert "Toby" Trace distillery employee, "This has been a lot of strife,
Curtsinger after prosecu- was at the center of the a lot of struggle, a lot of
tors raised no objection to bourbon-heist scheme that hardship ... and he's got a
a defense request for shock spirited away tens of thou- lot of repairing that he's got
probation. sands of dollars' worth of to do," Lawson told report- In a May 22, 2015 file photo, Gilbert "Toby" Curtsinger sits Franklin
Curtsinger's release from liquor. The thefts targeted ers after the hearing. "And County Circuit Court in Frankfort, Ky.
jail could come as soon as the Buffalo Trace and Wild so I think he's eager to say Associated Press
Sunday — 30 days into his Turkey distilleries. He plead- that this chapter of his life
sentence, his attorney and ed guilty to charges that is over and to see what the priate" due to his ringleader er's marks.
a prosecutor said after- included theft by unlawful next chapter holds for him." role, Becker said. Investigators said they
ward. It's the least amount taking and receiving stolen Curtsinger, who is in his late Curtsinger, who worked on cracked not only whiskey
of time someone can serve property. 40s, did not attend Friday's the Buffalo Trace loading thefts but a steroid-traffick-
before shock probation is The thefts included hard- hearing. He had been docks, distributed the whis- ing scheme as part of the
allowed under state law. to-get and pricey brands painting houses as a way key through a syndicate investigation.
During a brief court hear- such as Pappy Van Winkle to help support his family that included members One question still looms:
ing, prosecutor Zachary bourbon. The local sheriff before his incarceration, his of his recreational softball what to do with the confis-
Becker said there are too estimated the recovered attorney said. team, authorities said. cated bourbon.
many drug traffickers and whiskey was worth at least Curtsinger faces several The scheme was exposed Becker on Friday filed a
violent criminals "who de- $100,000. years of supervised pro- after the Franklin County court motion asking that
serve his cot in jail more Becker said Friday he bation after his release sheriff's office received an the purloined spirits be dis-
than he does." thought Curtsinger had from jail, Becker said in anonymous tip that several posed of in a way that re-
He added that, "I cannot in been "appropriately an interview. Curtsinger missing Wild Turkey bour- flects the wishes of the Van
good conscience oppose shocked by this experi- has already paid the res- bon barrels were stashed Winkle family and the Buf-
this motion," given the cost ence, so as not to reoffend," titution — amounting to a on Curtsinger's property. falo Trace and Wild Turkey
of imprisoning more dan- given the punishments he's couple of thousand dollars Sheriff's officers found bar- distilleries. They have sig-
— required under his plea rels containing bourbon naled their wishes to have
agreement, the prosecutor behind an outbuilding on the bourbon returned to
said. the property. The barrels them "for disposition as they
Ten people were indicted had been sanded and deem appropriate, includ-
after the scheme was un- spray-painted black on the ing destruction" in accord-
covered in 2015. Curtsinger tops and bottoms in what ing with state and federal
was the only one to serve authorities believed was an laws and regulations, the
jail time, which was "appro- effort to remove the distill- motion said.q