An anti-smoking group is trying a radical tactic to increase pressure on embattled tobacco executives: It's offering $25,000 to anyone who provides information leading to convictions for "cigarette-related felonies."
The Justice Department is conducting criminal investigations of whether tobacco executives lied to Congress and misled federal regulators about research into nicotine's addictiveness.Prosecutors already have thousands of documents to consider as evidence, and several industry whistle-blowers have testified, but no one has been arrested or indicted.
Action on Smoking and Health, or ASH, wants to uncover more information for the probes. So Thursday, it was posting on the Internet a $25,000 reward.
"Wanted: Tobacco-Industry Executives," reads a poster than seeks information leading to convictions of the executives for "perjury, obstruction of justice . . . and other related felonies."
Tobacco officials declined comment until they had seen the Internet notice.