P.M. BRIEFING : Liquor Board Targets Helmsley
The State Liquor Authority has moved to bar liquor sales at five hotels owned by convicted tax cheat Leona Helmsely and a partner.
The hotels that could possibly run dry are the Park Lane Hotel, the Carleton House, the Windsor Hotel, the Helmsley Palace and the New York Helmsely Hotel, all in Manhattan.
Richard Chernela, a spokesman for the Liquor Authority, said the proposed action against Helmsley and Joseph Licari stems from their Aug. 30 conviction on felony charges of conspiring to evade taxes.
Hotel Queen Helmsley and Licari have until Dec. 1 to enter a plea concerning the charges, Chernela said.
The state Alcoholic Beverage Control Law prohibits a convicted felon from trafficking in alcoholic beverages.
Chernela said charges are brought against 2,000 to 2,500 license holders a year. “I assure you, it didn’t take front page headlines for us to know about this case,” he said.
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