A 28-year-old East Haven man has been arrested and arraigned in connection with the theft of nearly $250,000 worth of wine from Murphy Distributors, an upscale wine and beer distributor located on North Branford Road in Branford.
The man, David Moon, was released on bond. An arrest warrant has also been issued for a second man, Richard Worthington, a former employee of Murphy Distributors who worked in the company’s warehouse. Worthington is now in prison on another conviction, police said. The two men, the police say, are linked to the thefts, which took place over more than a year.
Worthington, 29, will be charged with felony larceny and conspiracy charges once he is arrested, Capt. Geoffrey Morgan said. The investigation is continuing and it is possible that in addition to Worthington “other arrests may follow,” police added. This may be a reference to those who purchased the stolen wine.
The case began in January, 2014 after the company’s president, Matthew Murphy called police to report that he was missing a good deal of stock from his exclusive wine inventory, Morgan said.
Officer Josef Herten was assigned to the case and for months conducted an investigation that led to search warrants and telephone records. Eventually Herten linked Worthington to Moon.
Moon was arrested a week ago and arraigned in New Haven Superior Court. He was charged with felony larceny and conspiracy charges and released on a $10,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court again on July 28.
###
