FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - A woman whose husband is accused of being the ringleader of a long-running whiskey theft ring in Kentucky has entered a plea to a couple of drug-related charges.
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports 45-year-old Julie Curtsinger entered an Alford plea last week to possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance (anabolic steroid). An Alford plea means she doesn't admit wrongdoing but acknowledges sufficient evidence for a conviction.
Curtsinger, her husband, 46-year-old Gilbert "Toby" Curtsinger, and seven other people were indicted last year on charges of operating a criminal syndicate that trafficked in bourbon and anabolic steroids. Prosecutors say the syndicate was involved in the theft of rare Pappy Van Winkle bourbon from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort and Wild Turkey in Anderson County.
The original felony counts were reduced to misdemeanors in the plea agreement.
