Gambling Addiction Costs Ice Winery Head

Something I didn’t know until recently is that wine grapes are grown in all 50 states. They’re also grown in Ontario, Canada. One winery head dipped into the till because he liked to gamble.

From St. Catharines, Ontario, comes the story of Charles Pillitteri, head of the the Pillitteri Estates Winery. Mr. Pillitteri apparently liked to gamble, and back in 2004 and 2005 Mr. Pillitteri reached into the company’s cash and took $439,102 and $951,508 (Canadian Dollars). The Canada Revenue Agency found out, and the company was fined the amount of the back taxes: $122,031 and $202,510 for 2004 and 2005. The company has paid the fines assessed when Mr. Pillitteri pleaded guilty to tax evasion.

Mr. Pilliteri no longer gambles according to this news report. Connie Slingerland, the CFO and the sister of Mr. Pillitteri, told the National Post, “We’re very proud of what we do…. This happened a long time ago, and all the measures have been put in place for it not to happen again.”

The specialty of Pillitteri Estates Winery is ice wines; the grapes for the wines are frozen on the vine, picked, and then crushed while still frozen. It sounds like the perfect thing to try during a Las Vegas summer.

One Response to “Gambling Addiction Costs Ice Winery Head”

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