Bellingham business owner facing felonies in alcohol trafficking case. What to know

The owner of Bellingham’s Schweinhaus Biergarten has been charged with multiple felonies tied to allegations he purchased and resold alcohol belonging to an Issaquah brewery he previously co-owned. Brandon Robert Bates, 48, faces charges including first-degree theft and trafficking of stolen property.

FULL STORY: Schweinhaus owner charged with felonies, accused of trafficking in stolen alcohol

Here are key takeaways:

• Bates co-founded Formula Brewing in Issaquah in 2018 as a 50-50 partnership with Daniel Bohm, with Bates managing daily operations while Bohm focused on construction and brewing.
• After the partnership dissolved into receivership, Bohm discovered Bates had made “large purchases” of expensive alcohol, including three $1,400 bottles of Louis XIII cognac, that were never delivered to Formula Brewing.
• Court records allege Bates stored the alcohol at a Seattle seafood business warehouse, where he had unsuccessfully tried to become a tenant and open a bar during the receivership period.
• Bohm estimated Formula Brewing lost about $125,000 through Bates’ purchases between November 2022 and July 2023, when the brewery reopened under Bohm’s sole ownership.
• Bates was charged June 29 with first-degree theft, first-degree identity theft, first-degree possession of stolen property and first-degree trafficking of stolen property. His arraignment in King County Superior Court is scheduled for July 13.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.