Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) is offering a reward of $25,000.00 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of current or former tobacco industry executives for cigarette related felonies such as perjury, obstruction of justice, false swearing, and conspiracy.
The purpose of the reward program is help bring to justice individuals who have committed serious crimes as part of their efforts to promote cigarettes, especially to children, and to raise the public's awareness about tobacco industry wrongdoing.
There are currently at least five major federal criminal investigations of the tobacco industry being conducted.
Below is a copy of ASH's press release announcing its reward program as part of an overall tobacco felony justice project.
Next is a list of things you can do to help the project, even if you don't have any information about tobacco industry wrongdoing to submit.
Finally, there is a list of the rules of the reward program.
PLEASE CHECK THE ASH WEB SITE FREQUENTLY FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS REWARD PROGRAM, AND FOR ANY MESSAGES TO PERSONS SUBMITTING INFORMATION ON AN ANONYMOUS BASIS.
ASH PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCING REWARD PROGRAM:
$25,000.00 REWARD OFFERED For Information Leading to the Arrest and Conviction of Tobacco-Industry Execs for Cigarette-Related Felonies
Tobacco industry executives now have a price on their heads.
A national antismoking organization has offered $25,000 to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of any current or former tobacco-industry executive for a cigarette-related felony.
With at least five different federal criminal investigations of the tobacco industry now under way, a conviction for perjury, obstruction of justice, false swearing, and other related crimes is likely, predicts law professor John Banzhaf, Executive Director of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).
Speaking at a press conference this morning [THURSDAY, 10 AM], Banzhaf said that even before ASH's tobacco-felony justice project was formally announced, he had already received and turned over to the Justice Department dozens of incriminating documents.
He also met several times with FBI agents so that they could debrief informants with inside information about wrongdoing within the tobacco industry.
"When outlaws threatened lives and communities in the old West, concerned citizens banded together to put up rewards for their capture and conviction. That's what ASH is hoping to do with these modern and even more murderous outlaws," says Banzhaf.
He notes that although thousands of incriminating documents have already been made public, and a number of informants have come forward, many more people with vital information may be encouraged to cooperate by a sizable reward which can help to tide them over, or even assist in establishing a new life.
One interesting aspect of the reward program is that documents and other information can be submitted to ASH anonymously.
Persons who submit information anonymously are asked to either provide the first name and phone number of a trusted friend in another city for ASH to relay messages through, or to provide a code name and 9-digit number.
In the latter situation ASH will communicate with the informant by leaving messages on ASH's Web Site: . In either event ASH will turn over the information submitted anonymously to the appropriate authorities and, if it helps to bring about a conviction, the informant can receive the reward without ever coming forward publicly.
In 1995 plaintiff attorneys associated with the former federal class-action suit pending in New Orleans þ the so-called "Castano" case þ tried to operate a similar reward program to obtain information which could be used against the tobacco industry.
However, the U.S. District Court in Louisiana termed these advertisements "inappropriate," and banned smokers' lawyers from interviewing witnesses located as a result of the ads unless tobacco company lawyers also are involved.
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), as an independent tax-exempt organization, is not bound by that order.
ASH has said it will feel free to turn over any relevant information it receives through its tobacco felony justice reward program to "attorneys for states and others bringing legal actions against the tobacco industry."
Anticipating that the tobacco industry may likewise try to obtain a court order against this program, Banzhaf says that his organization will deliberately not place notices of the reward in newspapers across the country.
Instead, ASH hopes to rely upon the media, and on information spread via the Internet and by other antismoking organizations, just as it did in publicizing a contest for kids concerned about smoking and the FDA's proposal to protect children from cigarettes.
Although not one single ad was ever placed, and the prize was only $1000, ASH nevertheless received over 25,000 contest entries.
It plans to use the same technique here, and has obtained promises from other antismoking organizations to help publicize the reward.
"Tobacco industry executive lie because of money, so it is only appropriate that the other side use money to smoke out proof of their felonious wrongdoing," says Banzhaf.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP BRING TOBACCO INDUSTRY EXECS TO JUSTICE
* make copies of the reward notice and post them in as many places as possible, including your office, place of worship, apartment, shopping center, etc.
* use the Internet, mailings from clubs or other organizations, newsletters of all kinds, and other means to help spread the word
* send copies to local newspapers, talk show hosts, television news broadcasters, and others, telling them of your interest and support for the program
* call talk show programs to tell them about the reward offer, especially if they are discussing smoking, health, drugs, and other related topics
* be sure that anyone you know who had any connection whatsoever with cigarette manufacturers knows about this important offer
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ASH'S TOBACCO FELONY JUSTICE REWARD
ASH offers to pay, to one or more persons who provide information to ASH which helps lead þ before the year 2000 þ to the arrest and conviction in a federal or state court of one or more tobacco industry executives for cigarette related felonies, a cash reward of no less than $25,000 under the following conditions:
* "arrest" means that an individual has been taken into custody, either voluntarily or involuntarily, regardless of whether or not he is subsequently released.
* "conviction" means that a judgment of guilty is formally entered by a court of competent jurisdiction, either as a result of a finding of "guilty" by a judge or jury, or because of a plea of "guilty" which is accepted by the court.
* "before the year 2000" means that the judgment of guilty must be formally entered by a court of competent jurisdiction before 11:59 pm on December 31, 1999, regardless of whether or not the judgment is subsequently appealed, reversed, vacated, or modified by an appellate court, either before or after the year 2000.
* "tobacco industry executive" means any person who is or was employed by a U.S. tobacco company in an executive capacity, including any corporate lawyer or any scientist performing executive functions.
* "felony" means a serious crime classified by the applicable criminal law as a "felony" rather than as a misdemeanor or simple offense.
* "cigarette related felonies" include those felonies committed on behalf of a cigarette company and directly related to the sale, manufacture, advertising, or promotion of cigarettes, or to the conduct of legislative, administrative, regulatory, or judicial proceedings related to cigarettes. These could include felonies such as perjury, obstruction of justice, false swearing, securities fraud, company tax fraud, conspiracy, and other related crimes.
* "company related felonies" do not include any felonies committed by a tobacco industry executive on an individual basis for his own personal gain or benefit, or for the gain and benefit of other individuals. ASH reserves the right to decide in its discretion if an individual is or was a "tobacco company executive," and if a felony is "cigarette related," according to these guidelines.
* "cash reward" means that cash, a check, or similar negotiable instrument will be presented to the person entitled to the reward within 180 days of the date a judgment of guilty is formally entered. The winner must pay all taxes.
* "no less than $25,000" means that the cash reward will be at least in that amount. The reward may also be larger if the amount is increased from time to time by ASH as a result of additional tax-deductible contributions.
* "information" qualifying for the reward includes documents, video or audio tape recordings, data of whatever kind stored on a floppy disk or other appropriate medium, and individual verbal statements (including testimony) of a person having knowledge of relevant facts.
* persons who have or may wish to provide such information should write to ASH-REWARD, 2013 H St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006, Or call ASH at (202) 659-4310.
* any letters, documents, or other information submitted by mail in response to this reward on a non-anonymous basis should include the full name, address, and phone number of the person submitting the information.
* persons choosing to submit information by mail on an anonymous basis should include with the mailing either:
(1) a first name and phone number of a friend in another city where ASH can leave messages; or
(2) a code name and a nine (9) digit number selected at random and known only to the submitter of the information. If information in that form is received, ASH will communicate with the submitter by leaving a message on ASH's web site: http://ash.org
* to help decide if information submitted by a particular person in fact helped lead to the conviction of a person found guilty of a felony, ASH's legal staff will make the determination based upon any information provided by prosecuting authorities, media accounts, trial transcripts (to the extent readily available) and other information.
* if, in the judgement of ASH's attorneys, information from two or more sources helps lead to a conviction(s) as provided above, or if substantially similar information is received from two or more sources, the reward shall be divided between the two or more sources in a manner determined by ASH in its sole discretion to be fair and equitable.
* ASH reserves the right to choose not to submit any information it receives to prosecutorial authorities if it believes that it is not credible, material, or relevant, or if it may be in violation of the law. ASH does not urge, encourage, or condone any violation of the law in connection with this reward offer or otherwise. ASH also reserves the right to share any information it receives with attorneys for states or others bringing legal actions directed against the tobacco industry, as well as with appropriate federal, state, or local administrative agencies.
* persons submitting information for this reward are expected to cooperate with ASH and appropriate authorities.
* all persons, by submitting information or otherwise responding to this offer, agree that any disputes or disputed claims relating in any way to this reward offer shall be decided, in the sole discretion of ASH, either by arbitration by an independent recognized arbitration organization chosen by ASH, or by a legal action brought in the federal or local courts of the District of Columbia and in no other courts or forums.
* the rules and conditions related to this reward offer may be amended from time to time by ASH, and all such amendments will be posted on ASH's Web Site: All persons seeking to participate in the reward program agree to frequently check the ASH web site for such changes, and to be bound by them from the date they are first posted.
* all materials submitted become the property of ASH.