ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 22, 2007) - Agents for Comptroller Peter Franchot, along with members of the Baltimore County Police Department raided an unlicensed club Monday evening seizing more than 400 containers of contraband alcohol. The bust ends a two-month investigation into alleged illegal alcohol sales at the establishment.

Acting on an anonymous tip, Comptroller's agents and police executed a search and seizure warrant at the Trial Club, located at 8438 Cove Road, in Dundalk. Agents confiscated 108 containers of distilled spirits, 10 containers of wine, 279 containers of beer including seven one-half kegs. Prior to Monday night's raid, agents posing undercover entered the club on two separate occasions and found the business to be open to the public and not restricting admittance to "members only" as required.

"Establishments who operate illegally hurt the people living in the jurisdictions where they do business," said Comptroller Peter Franchot. "The owner of the Trial Club deprived Baltimore County of much needed revenue and that won't be tolerated."

The state's licensing structure requires businesses that want to operate freely with admittance to the general public must be licensed and pay the appropriate taxes. Private clubs that fail to get licensed and operate illegally by selling to all, deprive local licensing authorities of their revenue.

The club's president, William Donnick, 39, of Baltimore, faces charges including: two counts of unlawfully suffering the sale of alcoholic beverages without a license and three counts of unlawfully possessing alcoholic beverages for purpose of sale. These violations are misdemeanors and carry a potential fine of $1,000 and/or two years imprisonment per each count.

Donnick is the forty-first person arrested for alcohol violations this fiscal year with agents confiscating more than $158,000 in illegal beverages so far.

CONTACT: Christine Duray, 410-260-6346 (office), 443-336-0215 (cell)