Prohibition Fake Rabbis Wine Racket

During Prohibition in the United States, bootleggers exploited a religious exemption that allowed rabbis to purchase 10 gallons of wine per congregant per year. Many bootleggers simply registered as rabbis on paper so they could legally secure large quantities of sacramental wine and divert it into the black market. Alarmed by the scandal, Jewish leaders petitioned the government to remove or tighten the exemption so their religion would no longer serve as cover for illegal alcohol sales.

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