DRUNK ON POWER

Alleged Champagne-Stealing NYPD Cops Charged for Theft at Music Festival

Three detectives from the department are facing the full force of the law after being caught swiping bottles of the expensive stuff.

It may be the ultimate hangover for three NYPD detectives who on Monday were indicted and charged for stealing and drinking “expensive champagne” while on duty at a Labor Day weekend music festival last year. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced detectives Jonathan Gonzalez, 33, Wojciech Czech, 44 and Warren Golden 31 have all been charged over their involvement in the Sept. 3 incident at the Electric Zoo Festival on Randall’s Island. A statement from District Attorney Bragg says that at approximately 7:00 p.m. the men were in the VIP area, where attendees at a nearby table had ordered bottles of Ace of Spades champagne. As the attendees stepped away from the table, Gonzalez swiped two unopened bottles, worth a total of $2,900. Problem was, someone spotted them do it and pursued the cops—until they were helped by a security guard, who unloaded the bottles from a backpack Gonzalez had stuffed them it. Gonzalez and Czech are each charged with one count of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree and Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree. Golden and Gonzalez are each charged with one count of Official Misconduct, a statement from District Attorney Bragg's office confirmed. “In addition to the alleged theft that occurred, none of these Officers stepped up and stopped this activity. Public confidence in the criminal justice system depends on members of law enforcement acting with the utmost integrity while on duty and following the same rules that apply to everyone else,” said District Attorney Bragg. In October, the officers, from the the Manhattan North narcotics unit, were placed on modified duty or reassigned after the incident.