Livermore Resident Charged In Federal Bribery Scheme: DOJ

LIVERMORE, CA — A Livermore resident and executive at a top alcohol distributor is one of six people charged Wednesday in connection with a bribery scheme involving a large grocery chain, authorities said.

A federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted five high-level employees at Southern Glazer and a salesman for their roles in bribing an Albertsons grocery store buyer.

Loratina Muscara, 64, of Livermore, was one of those executives, according to authorities.

The 64-year-old and her colleagues knew that their distribution company or partners weren't allowed to pay bribes to alcohol retailers and wholesalers to purchase certain brands and exclude others, but did so anyway, according to the United States Attorney's Office.

Some of the bribes included prepaid gift cards of up to $1,000 each, luxury and designer items such as watches and purses, along with golf trips and exercise equipment, according to federal prosecutors.

They would then try to conceal the bribes by creating fake invoices that made the items appear as legitimate business expenses, federal prosecutors said.

The salesman, meanwhile, lied to investigators when they questioned him about the bribes and falsified invoices, authorities said.

The other executives were identified as Stephen Magliocco, 47, of Trabuco Canyon; Michael Dehdashtian, 48, of Lake Forest; Adrian Ruiz, 54, of Corona; and Ryan Dow, 40, of Upland.

The Napa Valley winery salesman was identified as Michael Sean Salene, 60, of Garden City, Idaho.

Magliocco, Dehdashtian, Ruiz, Dow, and Muscara were each charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and obstruct investigations, while Salene was charged with Travel Act bribery and making false statements.

Magliocco, Ruiz, and Muscara face additional charges of falsifying records to obstruct investigations, authorities said.