Tobacco Documents Online

I • t Times New York JUNG Y 1934 Ex Inspector ForF.D.A. Is Convicted OfBribery NEWARK, May 31 (AP) - A for- mer inspector for the Federal Food and Drug Administration was con- victed today of both paying and co spiring to take bribes to allow tons o contaminated and rotting seafood into the country. F.D.A. officials have said they re- ceived no reports of people getting ; sick because of the contaminated food. Agency officials said that since an undercover investigation by the United States Customs Service led to the charges against the former in- spector, Robert A, Vaccaro, and 11 other people, safeguards like the rota- tion of inspectors and bribery aware- n~s training have been set up. r. Vaccaro was cleared of other charges, including six bribery counts. He Is to be sentenced on Aug. 11 by Federal District Judge Alfred M. Wo- lin and faces 130 years in prison and $250,000 in fines, though the actual penalties will probably be far less under Federal sentencing guidelines. Good Luck at the Track Assistant United States Attorney Lorraine S. Gerson had told the jary that the crimes allowed Mr. Vacc~-ro to live lavishly and to drive a Porsche with a car phone, although he attrib- uted his wealth to good luck at the i horse track, Mr. Vaccaro's defense lawyer, Da- vid A. Ruhnke, had countered that his 67ient ~ could prove he netted about $70,000 in 1986 from betting on horses ~ttd that the family's tax returns ~ ould rebut allegations of the high ife. Mr.lfuhnke urged the jury to con- ider the reliability of the govern- ent's witnesses, some of whom ave pleaded guilty to related charges. Mr. Vaccaro, 42, of Queens, faces~ the most serious charges of those charged in the case. Nine defendants, including three F.D.A. inspectors and two shippers, have pleaded guilty, while another was convicted in March 1993. Conversati:ons on Tape Jurors heard taped conversations between Mr. Vaccaro and co-conspir- ators showing that "he knew what he was doing was corrupt," Ms. Gerson said. That included "cooling down" the operation when he thought the authorities were aware of it, she said. The bribes ranged from several hundred dollars to a one-time payoff of $30,000, she said. Mr. Ruhnke told the jury that Mr. Vaccaro still worked the phones be- fore and after court appearances as a salesman for a Newark food import- er, selling fish to restaurants. Mr. Ruhnke declined to name Mr. Vac- caro's employer. Mr. Vaccaro started a consulting business in 1987 after resigning as a supervisor in the F.D.A.'s Brooklyn office. He is charged with taking i65,000 in bribes as an inspector. ~ As the principal of Food-Tech Ana- ~ lysts and Consultants Inc., Mr. Vac- caro bribed inspectors to destroy doc- uments, to file false inspection re- ports and to import food previously rejected by the F.D.A., according to the indictment, handed up in June 1992 The indictment charged that Mr. Vaccaro's bribes meant consumers were exposed to seven and a half tons of swordfish with excess mercury, 645 pounds of decomposed lobster tails and one and a half tons of small lobsters contaminated with tecal bac- ,_ teria. z Wati St. Jni Washington, DC MAY 311994 /FDA Has No Position, Yet The question is of interest to the Food and Drug Adminstration, which says it is studying what health claims may be made pC for each ingredient. "We are aware of the Mentadent product," an agency spokes- woman says. "We're evaluating what reg- ulatory position to take regarding it." She declined to elaborate. Although consumers clearly like brush- ing with it, baking soda in toothpaste doesn't do anything to fight tartar, a major concern to aging baby boomers, dental experts say. "Baking soda has caught on .~ with consumers and is therefore associ- ~ ated with improvements in oral health," notes Dr. Warren Scherer, an associate professor at New York University College of Dentistry. "But there isn't much evi• dence that it is effective for whitening teeth or for oral health." Nor does peroxide, in the concentra• tions found in toothpaste, do much to whiten teeth. Dr. Scherer says. In high , concentrations, such as those found in at-home bleaching systems, peroxide may remove stains and whiten teeth. But in toothpastes, he says, "it's not indicated for whitening." Yet many Mentadent consumers clearly believe it works better than other brands. One, Martha Lebron of the Bronx, wrote Chesebrough a letter saying that since she started using Mentadent, "1 have dramatically seen the difference in my teeth. (They) are so much whiter, cleaner and shiny. I couldn't believe the effect your toothpaste had on my teeth tn such a short period of time, about a month."