The Man That Bought $65,000 Worth Of Alcohol With Stolen Credit Cards

It can be considered kindhearted and well-mannered to gift friends and neighbors a bottle of wine or spirits, though alcohol certainly gets pricey. Of course, if you save big on wine bottles from Costco or shop around for other promotions to try to cut costs, the person you're buying it for will likely still appreciate it. But if you steal identities and execute credit card fraud to pick up thousands of bottles of booze from liquor stores over the course of a year, the sweet sentiment gets a bit lost.

In early December 2025, a 26-year-old New York man was arrested for allegedly stealing $65,000 worth of alcohol from Pennsylvania liquor stores. Brooklyn's Eugene Antwi has been arrested in New York and is being charged with identity theft, forgery, access device fraud, and theft by deception — among other crimes  — per a news release from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Antwi will appear in a Pennsylvania court for his arraignment.

A joint investigation between New York City Police and Pennsylvania State Police found that Antwi used stolen credit cards and identities to place multiple alcohol orders at Pennsylvania liquor stores between August 2023 and September 2024. In total, he racked up over 200 fraudulently made online orders in 21 Pennsylvania counties. The scale of this operation shows the very real damage a single bad actor can do with someone else's sensitive information.

Antwi allegedly put a good amount of fraud into the liquor heist, with "expensive liquors" as a prime target. Now, even one nice bottle of Don Julio tequila or Johnnie Walker scotch, which is secretly owned by another company, showing up on the wrong person's credit card bill would be upsetting enough for many. Multiply that by a factor of hundreds, and that's how many people had to deal with the consequences of these actions. Allegedly, Antwi stole credit cards, and used them to make orders for alcohol he would physically pick up from different stores in Pennsylvania. The Philly Voice highlights that Philadelphia and area suburbs made up Antwi's alleged target, and that at least 134 of the fraudulently made orders were picked up by Antwi at Philadelphia-area Fine Wine and Good Spirits stores.

In order to place a pick-up order with any Fine Wine and Good Spirits location, an account must be created with a first and last name, an email address, and a phone number. Antwi allegedly created fake identities for these orders, and tied them to stolen credit and debit cards in order to make high-priced purchases. While Antwi's alcohol heist amounts to far less than the biggest money heists in American history, the crimes he is charged with are a stark reminder that identity theft and credit card fraud are still all too easily at hand for clever thieves.

Americans lost billions to scams and fraud in 2024, and identity theft is on the rise in 2025. The Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network tracks reported fraud, but that vast amount of information is usually only useful at a higher scale. So, you're your own best line of defense against digital crime.

Individuals who do fall victim to scams can quickly freeze their own credit to halt further fraud. Similarly, regular checks on your credit and debit account statements may immediately highlight a surprise charge. While calling a financial institution to stop a compromised card from being used can be frustrating, the quicker you get in front of the problem the safer you'll be long-term. It can also be helpful to set all your cards' purchase alerts so they send notifications to your mobile devices or email to better safeguard against fraudulent transactions.

A representative from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General told the Philly Voice that Antwi allegedly acquired an amount of alcohol higher than "what would ordinarily be considered commensurate with personal consumption." Those running businesses may want to keep an eye on consumer trends like this and make note of anything out of the ordinary. Requiring photo ID for those picking up online purchases can also help protect against fraud. Investing in tight cybersecurity and up-to-date online shopping software to protect against things like stolen credit card use are another essential practice for businesses attempting to avoid fraud.