Not every brand associated with a rapper is automatically as successful as either party might hope, but one brand that’s been exceeding expectations for a while now is Jay-Z‘s Armand de Brignac champagne — also known as “Ace Of Spades.” The brand has been growing ever since Jay bought it in 2014, and demand continues to be so high that some folks are apparently going to extreme lengths to get their hands on it.
According to Billboard, two NYPD officers have been accused of trying to steal $2900 worth of bottles of Ace from last year’s Electric Zoo festival. Jonathan Gonzalez, 33, and Wojciech Czech, 44, are each charged with grand larceny in the fourth degree and criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree for taking two unopened, unattended bottles of champagne from the VIP tent in a backpack, while a third officer, Warren Golden, 31, observed but did not stop them. Golden has been charged with official misconduct, as has Gonzalez.
However, festival attendees noticed the theft and reported the three officers to festival security. After being confronted, the officers returned the stolen goods and went back to work, but by then the security guard had already notified a supervisor, who informed their commander.
In a statement, the NYPD said, “As a result of the continuing joint investigation with the Internal Affairs Bureau and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, two NYPD officers were arrested and subsequently suspended from duty today. The NYPD will continue to pursue the facts in this investigation and initiate further discipline where appropriate.”