Troy officials weighing next steps as distillery owner faces charges, lawsuit

The Mayflower building, which is located at 9 W. Main St. in downtown Troy, is on the market for $2.915 million. One-time tenant Anthony "Tony" Scott Martin is facing felony and civil charges in conjunction with his business dealings. BRYANT BILLING / STAFF

Credit: Bryant Billing

Credit: Bryant Billing

The Mayflower building, which is located at 9 W. Main St. in downtown Troy, is on the market for $2.915 million. One-time tenant Anthony "Tony" Scott Martin is facing felony and civil charges in conjunction with his business dealings. BRYANT BILLING / STAFF

The city of Troy is waiting to see what happens with criminal charges against an area business developer before deciding whether to try and recoup hundreds of thousands of dollars in business loans.

Anthony “Tony” Michael Scott helped expand Moeller Brew Barn and operates a distillery in Butler Twp. — after shuttering a location in Troy — among other business ventures.

Scott is awaiting trial on a criminal case out of Mercer County while facing a lawsuit brought against him and others by an investor in the Moeller Brew Barn venture.

Scott, 44, of Troy, received about $400,000 in loans from the city — as well as grants from the state — for the Moeller Brew Barn location in Troy and A.M. Scott Distillery in Troy’s Mayflower building. Both businesses are now defunct, though Scott still operates a distillery in Butler Twp.

The site for the former Moeller Brew Barn in downtown Troy, located at 214 W. Main St., is on the market for $1.5 million. One-time tenant Anthony "Tony" Scott Martin is facing felony and civil charges in conjunction with his business dealings. BRYANT BILLING / STAFF

Credit: Bryant Billing

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Credit: Bryant Billing

On the city-issued loans, Troy City Director Patrick Titterington said “some (are) more paid off than others.”

“We have not filed criminally or civilly,” Titterington said. “We’re still looking into all out options.”

Messages left for Scott and his attorneys were not returned.

In 2022, Scott announced plans to open a live entertainment venue, cocktail bar and retail store in Troy’s iconic Mayflower building, 9 W. Main St., after it was purchased by local entrepreneur and former NFL lineman Wes Martin.

A man walks in front of the Mayflower building, which is located 9 W. Main St. in downtown Troy. The building is on the market for $2.915 million. One-time tenant Anthony "Tony" Scott Martin is facing felony and civil charges in conjunction with his business dealings. BRYANT BILLING / STAFF

Credit: Bryant Billing

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Credit: Bryant Billing

Scott was no longer involved in the project as of January. The Mayflower building is listed with Coldwell Banker’s commercial real estate division for $2.9 million.

Criminal case

Scott was arrested in March for offenses allegedly committed between Dec. 17-30, according to Mercer County court records.

During that time, Scott allegedly deprived a victim of more than $6,500 worth of business product and attempted to defraud the victim by writing a bad check.

Scott has pleaded not guilty to the charges. A jury trial is scheduled to begin Dec. 1.

Both charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 12 months and $2,500 in fines.

Moeller lawsuit

After opening its flagship location in Maria Stein in 2015, Moeller Brew Barn expanded into Troy in 2019, and Dayton and Monroe in 2022. Scott sold his interest in the company in 2022.

Scott, his business partner Nicholas Moeller, and others are named defendants in a Shelby County civil lawsuit filed by an investor in September 2024. which alleges Scott “knowingly and intentionally treated separate and distinct limited liability companies, with separate owner structures, operating as licensed breweries in the State of Ohio as one entity - all under the name ‘Moeller Brewing Barn’.”

The suit alleges 18 different counts, including unjust enrichment and breach of fiduciary duties involving several businesses.

Nicholas Moeller could not be reached for comment.

The Monroe location on OH 63 closed in September 2023. The Troy facility shuttered operations in September 2024. The Dayton location, across from Day Air Ballpark, shut its doors three months later.

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