Five former California executives of Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits have been charged in a federal indictment accusing them of participating in a long-running bribery and obstruction scheme aimed at influencing wine placement in grocery stores.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, a federal grand jury alleges the scheme took place between 2016 and 2024 and involved bribing grocery store employees to boost purchases of certain alcohol brands. Prosecutors say those involved also tried to obstruct investigations by creating false financial records.
The executives named in the indictment are Michael Dehdashtian, 48, of Lake Forest; Ryan Dow, 40, of Upland; Stephen Magliocco, 47, of Trabuco Canyon; Loratina Muscara, 64, of Livermore; and Adrian Ruiz, 54, of Corona.
Although the distributor was not directly named in the indictment, reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle identified the company as Southern Glazer’s, the largest alcohol distributor in the United States. The grocery chain involved was also not named in the court documents, but it was identified as Albertsons and its subsidiary Vons.
Prosecutors allege the executives hid the bribes by directing approved vendors and alcohol suppliers to issue fake invoices that appeared to cover legitimate business expenses. Instead, the funds were allegedly used to purchase items such as prepaid gift cards worth up to $1,000, luxury watches, designer handbags, golf trips and exercise equipment.
The five defendants face charges of conspiracy to commit bribery and obstruction. Magliocco, Muscara and Ruiz are also accused of falsifying records to interfere with investigations.
The indictment also names Michael Sean Salene, 60, an Idaho resident and former sales executive for Roots Run Deep Winery in Napa. He is accused of bribing Albertsons’ head alcohol buyer, lying to investigators and falsifying invoices.
Albertsons’ former top wine buyer, Patrick Briones, previously pleaded guilty in federal court in October 2025 to commercial bribery and conspiracy. Other individuals involved in the case, including wine suppliers Bryan Barnes, John Herzog and Matthew Adler, have also pleaded guilty to related charges.
The newly charged defendants are scheduled to appear in federal court in Oakland on March 25.