Officier van justitie de cel in
Dan Morales, Texaans hoofdofficier van justitie tijdens de Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) en vurig pleitbezorger van de Oorlog tegen Tabak, moet vier jaar de cel in. Hij heeft toegegeven miljoenen van de tabaksgelden uit de MSA doorgesluisd te hebben naar een vriend van hem, die ook terecht zal staan.
Dit artikel biedt een ontluisterend kijkje achter de schermen van de personen achter de Amerikaanse antitabaksindustrie…
Morales, 47, also admitted he filed a false income tax return in 1998 when he claimed taxable income of $39,734. That was the year he allegedly transferred $400,000 from his campaign funds to his personal account.
Sutton, attorney for the Western District of Texas, said Morales’ plea should send a message to citizens and other public officials.
“It doesn’t matter how powerful you were. Nobody is above the law,” Sutton said.
The indictment charged that Morales and Murr fabricated and backdated a bogus contract to make it appear that Murr was entitled to 3 percent of the state’s settlement, or $520 million.
Other lawyers in the case said Murr did little, if any, work on the litigation. An arbitration panel awarded those lawyers $3.3 billion in legal fees, paid by the tobacco companies, and awarded Murr only $1 million.
