(a) The Board shall have the authority to enforce the provisions of this title with respect to licensees and with respect to any person not holding a license and selling alcohol in violation of the provisions of this title.

(b) Subject to subsection (c) of this section, ABRA investigators and the Metropolitan Police Department shall issue citations for civil violations of this title that are set forth in the schedule of civil penalties established under § 25-830.

(c) A citation for any violation for which the penalty includes the suspension of a license shall be issued under the direct authority of the Board as a result of an investigation carried out by ABRA investigators.

(d) Prosecutions for misdemeanors under this title shall be prosecuted and initiated by information filed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia by the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. Prosecutions for felonies under this title shall be prosecuted by the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.

(e) Violations committed by an unlicensed person selling alcohol in violation of the provisions of this title shall be forwarded by the Board to the Attorney General for the District of Columbia for prosecution.

(f) ABRA investigators may request and check the identification of a patron inside of or attempting to enter an establishment with an alcohol license. ABRA investigators may seize evidence that substantiates a violation under this title, which shall include seizing alcoholic beverages sold to minors and fake identification documents used by minors.

(g) ABRA investigators may seize a liquor license from an establishment if:

(1) The liquor license has been suspended, revoked, or cancelled by the Board;

(2) The business is no longer in existence; or

(3) The business has been closed by another District government agency.

(May 3, 2001, D.C. Law 13-298, § 101, 48 DCR 2959; Sept. 30, 2004, D.C. Law 15-187, § 101(dd), 51 DCR 6525; May 2, 2015, D.C. Law 20-270, § 2(f)(1), 62 DCR 1866; Feb. 21, 2020, D.C. Law 23-52, § 2(f)(1), 67 DCR 21.)

The 2015 amendment by D.C. Law 20-270 added (g).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(e) of Games of Skill Consumer Protection Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Act 23-229, Feb. 27, 2020, 0 DCR 0).