50 Cent’s luxe booze company claims a one-time drug dealer paved the way for an executive to allegedly steal millions from the business.
The rapper’s Branson Cognac and Le Chemin du Roi, or The King’s Path, champagne go for $200 and $150 or more per bottle, respectively — but that’s nothing compared to the $6.2 million the Queens-born musician’s Sire Spirits says it lost in the alleged embezzlement scheme.
Michael Caruso, who works for beverage company Beam Suntory — owner of whiskey brands Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark — connected Sire Spirits with a man named Mitchel Green, according to a lawsuit.
Caruso, who according to the legal filing was a drug dealer in the 1990s in Manhattan, claimed Green “had a close and personal relationship with the well-known Taittinger champagne family, and thus was the right person to help source champagne for Sire Spirits,” the company charged in court papers.
In reality, Green didn’t have any connection with the famed champagne makers, Sire alleged.
Green had suppliers charge Sire bloated prices for their product, and pocketed some of the extra cash while others, such as Caruso and his wife, Gina, invoiced Green for their cut, Sire Spirits charged in the Manhattan Supreme Court filing.
Sire Spirits, which is suing the Carusos, Beam Suntory, and others, is seeking unspecified damages.
Through a spokesman, Michael Caruso said he is now a successful entrepreneur and has worked “tirelessly to help build Sire Spirits brand, including its world-class champagne.
“This lawsuit is a blatant attempt to devalue his contribution to Mr. Jackson’s company, and he adamantly denies any wrongdoing.”
Beam Suntory did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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