Jump to full article: Legal NewsLine, 2008-09-19
Author: SCOTT SABATINI
Intro: California Attorney General Jerry Brown has teamed with attorneys general from New York and Idaho to prevent First Regional Bank from providing payment processing services to online retailers who illegally sale cigarettes over the Internet.
The California attorney general's office said the settlement agreement will block sales to minors.
"Stopping the illegal sale of cigarettes, especially to minors, is a major step in protecting public health," Brown said. "These online tobacco retailers are known to be a major source for young people to get their illegal cigarettes." . . .
The investigation included a "sting" against one of the largest online tobacco retailers, Scott Maybee, which also discovered the bank's processing of sales was against the law. . . .
Brown said this settlement fulfills California's Master Settlement Agreement, a public health accord designed to reduce the use of tobacco products among minors.
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