Huntington Beach : Liquor Store Owner Charged With Bribery
The owner of a liquor store is free on $10,000 bail following his arrest on suspicion of bribing a state lottery official.
Naheeb A. Benyameen, 44, of La Habra, is accused of offering bribes of $700 to a district sales representative to authorize installation of a Lotto 6/49 computerized game at Charlie’s 5 Star Liquors on Brookhurst Avenue, lottery officials said.
The store’s sales volume did not justify installation of the machine, so Benyameen offered Joseph Gonzales, a lottery official, the money on two occasions, according to Wayne Mackley, a lottery agent. Gonzales accepted the money, Mackley said, and immediately reported the bribes to his superiors.
A bribery conviction carries a two- to five-year prison sentence. Benyameen was released early Friday.
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