US President Grant's private secretary Orville acquitted in Whiskey Ring

The Whiskey Ring took place from 1871 to 1876 during the Gilded Age, centering in St. Louis during the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant. This ring, an important act of corruption during this time period, was an American scandal, broken in May 1875, involving the diversion of tax revenues in a conspiracy among government agents, politicians, whiskey distillers, and distributors. Whiskey distillers bribed officials from the U.S. Department of the Treasury to increase profits and evade taxes. Grant's Justice Department prosecuted members of Grant's own Republican Party who were part of the Ring. The kingpin of the Whiskey Ring was the notorious General John McDonald, whom Grant had appointed Revenue Collector of Missouri District in 1869.