Pa. liquor board opens probe into its Point Breeze warehouse

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has launched an investigation into operations at its wholesale warehouse on Washington Avenue in Point Breeze, a spokeswoman for the agency confirmed Thursday.

No determination has been made on whether anything criminal has taken place, spokeswoman Stacy Kriedeman said.

"The PLCB found some financial irregularities during an internal audit at our Philadelphia wholesale store at 23d and Washington," Kriedeman said in an e-mail, declining to provide specifics.

She did not say when the audit took place but said the investigation it triggered continues.

"Once complete, we will turn our findings over to law enforcement officials," Kriedeman said.

No arrests have been made, she said, adding that no further details would be made available at least until investigators concluded their work.

The state police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement is responsible for enforcing the state liquor code. The PLCB grants and issues all licenses and permits under that code.

The warehouse under scrutiny is a liquor-distribution outlet for retail licensees such as restaurants and bars.

No one answered the door or the telephone Thursday at the rust-colored, low-rise building. It sits on the border of a quiet neighborhood with neatly maintained rowhouses and townhouses, and a commercial district dominated by home-and-design outlets.

News of possible trouble there comes just as Pennsylvania prepares for the inauguration of a new governor intent on getting the state out of the liquor business.

Republican Gov.-elect Tom Corbett campaigned on a platform to privatize the state liquor stores, contending that auctioning off licenses for those stores as well as wholesale distribution centers such as the warehouse in Point Breeze could yield $2 billion in revenue.

The PLCB reported contributions of $481 million to the state general fund in fiscal year 2010.