Mike Palmeri, a New York State wine merchant, was fined $10,000 this week for the crime of selling wine gift bags to his customers. It appears a law exists on the books that prohibits liquor stores from selling such items, as it somehow constitutes running a second business. Giving the bags away for free is permitted.
Marketview Liquors’ customers are irate over the situation, and have started a petition to put a halt to the fine, and hopefully change the law. Palmeri, however, blames himself – not the state. “Ignorance of the law is no excuse,” he said. “It’s like saying you didn’t know what the speed limit was. I violated the statute.”
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