By Will Cleveland
December 21, 2017
NEW YORK – Rochester Institute of Technology students allegedly used their college-issued identification cards, cards that don’t include dates of birth, to purchase alcohol at two adjoining Scottsville Road businesses
The New York State Liquor Authority on Thursday stopped the businesses — Father Son Wine & Spirits and Joey’s Mini Mart — from selling alcohol, effective immediately.
The licenses of Father Son Rochester Inc. and Joeys Mini Mart Inc., both at 1735 Scottsville Road near the RIT campus, were suspended, according to State Liquor Authority Chairman Vincent Bradley.
On Wednesday, the SLA charged Father Son Wine & Spirits with six counts of sales to minors and Joey’s Mini Mart with three counts, all of which occurred in the last three months.
“The licensee of Joey’s Mini Mart is the son of the licensee of Father Son Wine & Spirits, indicating the stores intentionally engaged in a deliberate scheme to deceive police and SLA Investigators,” the agency asserted.
According to the SLA database, John and Pamela Valvano hold the license for Father Son Rochester Inc., while Joseph Valvano holds the license for Joeys Mini Mart Inc.
According to a release from the SLA, an underage agents tried to buy alcohol at Father Son Wine & Spirits on Sept. 15. The agent gave the clerk an actual New York state driver’s license and was denied. An SLA investigator inside the store “observed that he was the only person in the premises who appeared to be of age. Moments later while observing from the parking lot, the investigator observed several customers appearing to be underage entering the liquor store, and the adjacent convenience store, exiting with bottles of spirits or beer,” according to a media release.
On Oct. 31, an SLA investigator talked with RIT’s public safety manager about underage alcohol sales at the two businesses and found out that student “were showing their college IDs, IDs that do not include a date of birth, to purchase alcohol at these locations.”
Investigators interviewed five underage RIT students. The students “voluntarily” provided written statements where they admitted to purchasing alcohol from the two businesses. “The students interviewed maintained that it was common knowledge on campus that both stores would make the illegal sales” when students used their college IDs. Investigators also determined that store clerks would allegedly deny sales to anyone who didn’t appear to be a college student in the store, “supposedly in order to avoid detection,” the release continued.
Last week, SLA investigators conducted a second undercover sting operation at the businesses. The underage agent entered Father Son and purchased 1 liter of vodka. The cashier allegedly didn’t ask for identification. Authorities also saw two underage costumers leaving the store with a box of liquor. They provided voluntary statements and “indicated that they have purchased alcohol at the liquor store several times in the past using” their college IDs.
“These father-son businesses contrived a conscious and calculated strategy to deliberately break the law,” SLA attorney Christopher R. Riano said in a release.
“The SLA’s decision to summarily suspend a license is not a final determination on the merits of the case,” the SLA said. Licensees are entitled to “an expedited administrative law hearing.”