cannabisnews.com: Prosecutors Say Bills Were Inflated For Drug Ads Prosecutors Say Bills Were Inflated For Drug Ads Posted by CN Staff on January 07, 2004 at 07:33:56 PT By Brooke A. Masters, Washington Post Staff Writer Source: Washington Post New York -- For five years now, the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide has startled the public with in-your-face ads linking illegal drug use to car crashes, teen pregnancy and -- during the 2002 Super Bowl -- international terrorism. "Tell your brother you forgot to pick him up because you were getting stoned. He'll understand," reads one advertisement. "Parents: The Anti-Drug" says another. The American taxpayers footed the multimillion-dollar tab for the entire campaign, and now federal prosecutors in Manhattan are alleging that two top executives at the ad agency deliberately padded bills for some of the earliest ads. On Tuesday, a federal grand jury charged finance director Thomas Early and former senior partner Shona Seifert with conspiracy and filing false claims, saying they submitted inflated bills to the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy in 1999 and 2000. The New York-based advertising agency already has repaid $1.8 million to the government to settle a civil suit based on the same billing issues and continues to produce anti-drug spots for the government. According to the grand jury filing, the problems started when Ogilvy & Mather won a five-year contract in 1998 to do the spots, and executives projected that they would receive $684 million based on anticipated labor and overhead costs. In mid-1999, Ogilvy executives found that their employees were logging fewer hours than expected on the anti-drug campaign, the 14-page indictment said. Snipped: Complete Article: http://freedomtoexhale.com/inflated.htm Source: Washington Post (DC)Author: Brooke A. Masters, Washington Post Staff WriterPublished: Wednesday, January 7, 2004; Page E01Copyright: 2004 Washington Post Contact: letterstoed washpost.comWebsite: http://www.washingtonpost.com Related Articles:Advertising Executives Charged with Cheating U.S. http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18099.shtmlSenate Bill Would Strip Ogilvy of Drug Accounthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17816.shtmlCongress Recommends $145 M. For Drug Officehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17789.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on January 07, 2004 at 08:30:03 PT: Oh, for crying out loud! I suggest people go to the link and then read that last paragraph.Then ask yourself: how can they say with a straight face that the ads have been effective in reducing illicit drug use? Namely, what is their methodolgy?Specifically, was it by phone-conducted surveys? With complete strangers? Who might be suspicious of a strange voice asking questions whose answers could be 'used against them in a court of law', to paraphrase Miranda?Smell that? It's not coffee, and it's not ammonia; it's a fresh, steaming pile of you-know-what.Thrown in our face. And we paid for every bit of it.A long time ago, there was a Senator named Proxmire who handed out "Golden Fleece Awards" for government agencies that wasted the taxpayer's dollars in nonsense like studying the hygeinic habits of Peruvian hookers. I jape you not, it actually happened. Maybe we need something like that now. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by mayan on January 07, 2004 at 07:51:14 PT They're All Crooks Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide and the U.S. government deserve each other but the taxpayers deserve better. We want our money back you a**holes!!!The way out is the way in...President Bush Served Friday With Personal 9/11 RICO Complaint: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5479.htm [ Post Comment ] Post Comment