Jay Z Exposes NYPD Cops Charged With Ace of Spades Champagne Theft
Three New York City police officers have been charged with stealing nearly $3,000 of Jay-Z’s highly-coveted champagne brand, Ace of Spades. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced on Monday that detectives Jonathan Gonzalez, 33, Wojciech Czech, 44, and Warren Golden, 31, would face the charge of grand larceny and criminal possession, both felonies, for the incident at last year’s Electric Zoo festival.
According to the New York Daily News, the detectives were tasked with monitoring drug activity in the VIP area of the event. They allegedly observed that several festivalgoers had ordered a bottle of Armand de Brignac champagne, which is co-owned by Jay-Z and known as “Ace of Spades” due to the large spade logo on the bottle. Gonzalez reportedly took the two unopened bottles of Champagne from a table in the VIP section and put them into his backpack while Czech and Golden stood by and did nothing.
Security guards spotted the trio at the festival, and the security staff informed their supervisors. After that, the officers were removed from the venue and placed under investigation. Accusations of fourth-degree grand larceny and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property have been levied against Gonzalez and Czech. Meanwhile, Golden is confronting a charge of official misconduct.
All three officers are currently on desk duty pending the case’s outcome. In a statement, the NYPD said it takes any “unethical conduct” incident seriously and is committed to upholding the integrity of its members.
The NYCPD also emphasized that it does not tolerate using illegal drugs, alcohol, or firearms on its property, and its officers will not hesitate to arrest anyone who violates this policy.
