Brewers owner continues to be under fire for bizarre 'theft' accusation in California

While most think of Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio as simply a baseball owner. When the team wins, fans are largely happy with him. When they don't, the city of Milwaukee unites against him for not spending enough on the roster, not caring about fans, etc. It is a tale as old as time, but it is Attanasio's private dealings that have him in hot water at the moment.

Back in August, Attanasio was named in a lawsuit from a one of his neighbors that claimed that the construction company he hired to do renovations at his Malibu beachfront property had stolen sand from the beach and violated environmental regulations.

Normally, a dispute between two exceedingly rich people wouldn't be all that newsworthy, but now it looks like California regulators are now targeting Attanasio over the disputed sand theft and that is where things could get messy.

Mark Attanasio's alleged "sand theft" is just another distraction the Brewers can ill-afford

This whole thing sounds very silly. It is highly unlikely that Attanasio was out in Malibu taking loads of sand himself and dumping them on his property for his personal use, but it also seems very likely he made demands of the company he hired for the renovations at a price point that led to the actions they took. Beaches probably shouldn't be plundered and damaged for homeowners individual needs and his neighbors and authorities are right to at least insure everything is done above board.

What we don't know is what the potential penalties could be here. It is highly unlikely that the state is going to seize the property or slap him with an earth-shattering fine. However, the legal proceedings are going to cost Attanasio a not small amount of money especially if he ends up needing to remedy the damage done and that is where it could have some impacts on the Brewers.

Attanasio is an objectively rich human, but he is among the least wealthy MLB owners out there. It is for that reason in addition to the size of Milwaukee's market that has led the Brewers to consistently have middling or worse payrolls under Attanasio's ownership. If Attanasio's legal troubles escalate further and require more of his resources and attention, don't be shocked if he has an even tighter grip on his wallet than he normally does ahead of the 2025 season.

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