Danberg announced today that Delaware’s Identity Theft Passport Act will go into effect on October 28, 2006. This new law was designed to provide victims of identity theft a way to substantiate a claim of identity theft to creditors and law enforcement.

ID theft occurs when a criminal steals a person’s confidential information such as Social Security Number, birth date, credit card numbers and bank account information. Criminals use stolen information to obtain false drivers’ licenses, utility services, credit cards, loans, government benefits and merchandise. Stolen identities are also used to defraud consumers, commit crimes and avoid arrest.

Now, victims of identity theft have a new way to fight back and reclaim their identity. To be eligible for a passport, victims must file a report witht he police agancy with jurisdiction over their residence. At the same time, they can apply for the passport through the police agancy or they can apply through the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit.

Passports can be presented to a law enforcement agency to help prevent arrest or detention for an offense commited by another, to creditors to aid in the investigation of fraudulent charges, and to a consumer reporting agency as official notice of a dispute.

Consumers can obtain more information about the new law and tips on how to protect themselves from identity theft by calling Attorney General Danberg’s Consumer Protection Unit at 800-220-5424 or on his website at www.state.de.us/attgen

Attorney Danberg announced today that The Weinstein Company is the first motion picture company to insert anti-smoking public service announcements (PSAs) in DVDs in which smoking is depicted. The Weinstein Company was responding to a September 2006 letter to Hollywood’s 13 major motion picture companies, which was signed by the Attorneys General from 41 states. Beginning with the December release of “Clerks II,” the Weinstein Company’s upcoming DVDs, which are distributed by TWC’s exclusive home entertainment distributor, Genius Products, will include an anti -smoking ad created by the American Legacy Foundation.

Danberg’s September request offered free and unlimited use of teen-targeted anti-smoking ads developed for the truth campaing of the American Legacy Foundation, created pursuant to the 1998 settlement of the states’ tobacoo litigation against the major tobacoo companies. As of this date, no other studios have responded to this PSA offer.

“We are very proud to be the first to sign onto this important initiative.” said Bob and Harvey Weinstein. “The Attorney General made a very sensible request, and we think the concept has a lot of merit.” The Weinsteins added, “Hopefully our Company’s decision to move forward will make other studios reconsider the idea.”

Tobacoo remains the number one preventable cause of death in the United States and 80 percent of adult smokers begin before age 18. Research has shown that teens are strongly influenced by seeing actors they idolize smoke on screen, regardless of the characters they play. To counteract this, the Attorneys General have repeatedly asked the Motion Picture Association of America, and the major studios to show youth smoking prevention public service messages in theaters and on DVDs before films that contain smoking. The Attorneys General also asked the National Association of Theatre Owners and its members to run such messages in their theaters.

Danberg said he applauds The Weinstein Company for taking this step in deterring young movie viewers from smoking.

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(Wlmington, DE) The Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit
announced that Sachin J. Karnik, 35, owner and operator of Comprehensive Counseling
Services, 1601 Milltown Road, Wilmington, pled guilty to one count of felony Health
Care Fraud in New Castle County Superior Court on October 17, 2006. Superior Court
Judge Fred S. Silverman sentenced Karnik to four years of probation and ordered him
to make restitution in the amount of $63,040.73 to Delaware Physicians Care
Incorporated and $2,500.00 to the Delaware Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Karnik, a
licensed clinical social worker, admitted that, between November 1, 2005 and May 31,
2006, he engaged in a pattern of presenting fraudulent health care claims to Delaware
Physicians Care, Inc., a managed care organization for Delaware Medicaid, by
presenting false statements in support of claims for payment.
Karnik’s fraudulent scheme involved obtaining additional family information from
his patients and falsely billing for counseling services not provided to the other family
members. He also obtained additional names of Medicaid recipients and billed for
counseling services not rendered.
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 (Wilmington, DE) Delaware Attorney General Carl Danberg, today announced that R.J. Reynolds
Tobacco Company (AReynolds@) and the Attorneys General of 39 states have entered into a settlement that ends the sale of candy, fruit and alcohol flavored cigarettes manufactured and sold by Reynolds.
Under the settlement, Reynolds agreed to a ban in the United States of its flavored Camel, Kool and
Salem cigarettes. The agreement also imposes significant marketing restrictions that make it virtually impossible for Reynolds to market a flavored cigarette to youth in the future. The following restrictions apply to any cigarettes manufactured by Reynolds in the future that have a characterizing flavor other than tobacco or menthol:
! The name of the cigarette may not be that of a candy, a fruit or an alcoholic beverage, and may not
include any of a number of specified terms that evoke imagery of candy, fruit or alcoholic beverages.
! Reynolds may not use print advertising, point of sale materials, exterior packaging or non-age-verified direct mail or internet advertising that contain (i) names of a candy, a fruit or an alcoholic beverage, (ii) any of a number of specified terms that evoke imagery of candy, fruit or alcoholic beverages, or (iii)
imagery of candy, fruit or alcoholic beverages.
! Reynolds may not distribute scented promotional materials, such as ALift and Sniffs@ or AScratch and Sniffs.@ The Attorneys General had asserted that Reynolds was violating the 1998 tobacco Master Settlement Agreement’s prohibition on youth targeting through its advertising, marketing and promotion of its flavored cigarettes.
Among the evidence that led the Attorneys General to conclude that Reynolds was targeting youth was: use of candy, fruit and alcohol flavors with high youth appeal; use of advertising and packaging with graphics, typography, colors, styles and themes that were enticing to youth; and use of AScratch and Sniff@ and ALift and Sniff@ promotional cards scented with sweet, candy aromas, but with none of the scent of tobacco.
The brand styles of flavored cigarettes sold by Reynolds that are specifically banned by the Agreement
are: Camel Exotic Blends: Mandarin Mint, Dark Mint, Crema, Izmir Stinger, Twist, Cinnzabar, Mandalay Lime, Aegean Spice, Bayou Blast, Beach Breezer, Margarita Mixer, Midnight Madness, Back Alley Blend, Kauai Kolada, Twista Lime, Winter MochaMint, Warm Winter Toffee, Blackjack Gin, Screwdriver Slots and SnakeEyes Scotch; Salem Silver: Dark Currents, Fire & Ice, Deep Freeze and Cool Myst; and Kool Smooth Fusions: Mintrigue, Mocha Taboo, Midnight Berry and Caribbean Chill.
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 (Wilmington, DE) The Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud unit announced today that Barry Brody, 67, of Claymont pled guilty on Tuesday, October 10, 2006 to one count of felony Financial Exploitation of an Infirm Adult in New Castle County Superior Court. The victim was his 91 year old mother who resides at the Milton & Hattie Kutz Home in Wilmington. Brody had power of attorney over his mother’s finances and abused this authority by failing to pay his mother’s nursing home bill and using the money for his own advantage.
He was sentenced by Delaware Superior Court Judge William C. Carpenter to four years of probation and ordered to make restitution in the amount of $63,958 to the Kutz Home, $55,000 to the Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance, and $2600 to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Brody was also ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and attend Gamblers Anonymous as conditions of his sentence.
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