SALEM, Ore. (AP) – The executive director of Oregon’s liquor regulatory agency announced his resignation Monday amid a criminal investigation into allegations that he and other senior officials used their positions to divert rare, sought-after bourbons for personal use.
Oregon Liquor and Marijuana Commission Executive Director Steve Marks noted in his resignation letter that Governor Tina Kotek asked him to resign. He said the withdrawal was effective as of 5 p.m. Wednesday. The resignation letter to the OLCC board of commissioners was first reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Liquor officials told internal investigators that they paid for the whiskey, which can cost thousands of dollars per bottle, but were accused of using their knowledge and connections at the commission to obtain the product. Marks and other officials denied he was reselling the whiskey he obtained.
Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum has announced a criminal investigation into the allegations that senior officials in the alcohol and marijuana regulatory agency of the state, which is the state’s third largest revenue generator, violated ethics laws.
The funneling of top-end whiskey to the leaders of the state agencies deprived well-heeled whiskey aficionados of bourbons and violated several Oregon statutes, including one that prohibits public officials from using confidential information for personal gain, according to the Commission’s investigation.
Officials are supposed to have bottles of top-end bourbon that are restricted to liquor stores, often in the Portland suburb of Milwaukie, where the commission’s headquarters are located, and will be purchased later. He said whiskey was used for personal consumption or as a gift.
During the OLCC’s internal investigation, Marks denied that he had violated Oregon ethics laws and state policy. However, he admitted that he had received preferential treatment “to some extent” in obtaining whiskey as a commission employee.
The board of commissioners is appointed by the governor and appoints the executive director, according to a commission spokesman. The commissioners’ next regular meeting is Wednesday.