Maggies Restaurant and Sports Bar is officially for sale almost a year after the New York State Liquor Authority raided the bar and suspended its liquor license.

An ‘Available’ sign is taped on the door of the building at 161 Marshall St., listing Kirby, Carroll, & Associates as the contact for anyone interested in purchasing.

On April 1, 2009, Maggies was raided by the Liquor Authority, the Syracuse Police Department, the N.Y. State Police and the Onondaga Sherriff’s Office. The bar was cited for underage drinking, sale of alcohol to a minor, and possessing or using fake identification, The Daily Orange reported. The raid marked the return of the state’s underage drinking prevention program, Operation Prevent. The bar was officially shut down and its license suspended April 15.

Maggies has been on sale for about a month, said Jim Kirby, the real estate broker handling the property. The owners decided to sell because they could not renew their liquor license, Kirby said.

The owner of Maggies is not making any statements at this time. Chris Raslan, the general manager of Maggies at the time of the raid, did not return a Thursday phone call from The Daily Orange.

All of the equipment in the building is included in the sale, along with the remaining terms of the lease, Kirby said.

Although it was originally just suspended, Maggies’s liquor license was officially cancelled on Dec. 16, according to a copy of the New York State Liquor Authority’s full board meeting on that same day.

Maggies was also issued a $10,000 civil penalty and a $1,000 bond claim. The penalty was due to be paid Jan. 15.

On Jan. 20, Tisdell Moore & Walter, the law firm handling the case, asked the Liquor Authority to accept a $4,000 settlement payment and put the $10,000 fine up for reconsideration. Tartous, Inc., the holder of the liquor license for Maggies, asked the Liquor Authority to reconsider because ‘they did not want to leave themselves with a bad name,’ according to the letter sent by the law firm.

Syracuse Police issued approximately 150 citations for underage drinking at the raid April 1, The Daily Orange reported. The raid was a result of anonymous complaints from Syracuse residents to SPD and the liquor authority, Sgt. Joel Cordone of SPD told The Daily Orange.

Four bartenders were also arrested during the raid in connection with the serving of alcohol to people under the age of 21, The Daily Orange reported.

Published on March 7, 2010 at 12:00 pm