Lawsuit: Iowa illegally marked up liquor prices for years [View all]

By Ryan J. Foley


IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The former top accountant for the state agency that oversees Iowa alcohol sales claims in a whistleblower lawsuit that for years it illegally and excessively marked up the price of liquor products.

Todd Halbur, former comptroller of the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division, alleges in the lawsuit that he was fired last year after questioning the illegal price markups and separate payments made under an improper no-bid contract.

Halbur's lawyer, Stuart Higgins, said Tuesday that his client was a “dedicated public servant” who was improperly fired for complaining about those two issues.

Division spokesman Tyler Ackerson said Tuesday that the allegations in the lawsuit are “untrue” but declined further comment, citing the pending litigation. A spokesman for the Iowa attorney general's office, which represents the division, also declined comment and said it would respond to the allegations in court filings.

Read more: https://wcfcourier.com/news/state-and-regional/lawsuit-iowa-illegally-marked-up-liquor-prices-for-years/article_768734d8-bd6e-5730-abf7-a7165fddaba5.html
(Waterloo Courier)