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33
(fifteen years for each count) in prison.99 Originally, Mr. Harvey pled not guilty to the charges. Soon thereafter, he changed his plea to guilty under the terms of a plea bargain agreement. He was sentenced to eighteen months in prison for each count, to be served concurrently. In addition to the prison time, Mr. Harvey was required to make a public apology to the Adolf Coors Company: “I want to publicly admit that I caused a mouse to be placed in a can of Coors beer and acknowledge the wrongdoing of that act.”100 In exchange, the company dropped its civil suit against Mr. Harvey. Assistant State Attorney E. McRae Mathis stated,
We felt in this case it was appropriate and it was necessary to ensure that the consumer confidence in a consumer product was given back to a company because that is the very thing that was taken away.101
While one may speculate that a hoax such as this was undertaken purely for monetary reasons, this is not always the case. Although Mr. Harvey unabashedly sought monetary gain, he also sought revenge. He was involved in a minor traffic accident with an Adolf Coors Company delivery truck. In an act of retribution, Mr. Harvey “picked up a mouse by the tail, hit him in the head and put him in a can of beer.”102 Mr. Harvey’s avarice and desire for retribution caused massive losses for all involved. He lost his freedom, Coors lost money and reputation, and the mouse lost its life.
99 In 1987, following the Tylenol product tampering case, Florida and many other states toughened their laws to provide for harsher penalties for “tampering with a product to injure a person or company” (The Ottawa Citizen, Sept., 28, 1988).
100 Anon, “Mouse Fraud Admitted,” Newsday, October 26, 1988, p. 14.
101 Anon, “Beer Drinker Admits Mouse Prank Apology, Guilty Plea Satisfy Coors,” Orlando Sentinel, October 26, 1988, p. D. 1.
102 Anon, “Man Gets 18 Months in Prison for Placing Mouse in Beer Can,” Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph, October 26, 1988, p. B. 3.
Object Description
| Title | An argument for the criminal hoax |
| Author | Pellegrini, Laura A. |
| Author email | user1963@yahoo.com; teachpolsci@yahoo.com |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Political Science |
| School | College of Letters, Arts and Sciences |
| Date defended/completed | 2008-08-20 |
| Date submitted | 2008 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2008-10-13 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Renteln, Alison Dundes |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Wong, Janelle S. Newland, Chester A. |
| Abstract | Hoaxes are part of the fabric of history. While many provide humor and lighthearted joy, the criminal hoax does not. To date, researchers have included aspects of the criminal hoax in larger academic works. This is an original typology that sets forth the criminal hoax as a distinct part of the larger field of law and public policy. This work provides newly created definitions including four distinct categories of hoaxes: the monetary hoax, the attention getter hoax, the hate crime hoax and the racial hoax. It further illustrates these types with actual detailed accounts of hoaxes and provides insights to each one. It makes policy recommendations concerning the four categories of needs: 1. legislative action, 2. a nationwide statistical database of hoax events, 3. media involvement, and 4. law enforcement training and action to deal with criminal hoaxes. Finally, it recommends further research to identify the causes and motivations of vipers. The ultimate goal of this project is to find ways to eliminate criminal hoaxes. |
| Keyword | criminal hoax; hoax categories |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m1659 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Pellegrini, Laura A. |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Pellegrini-2397 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume26/etd-Pellegrini-2397.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 39 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 33 (fifteen years for each count) in prison.99 Originally, Mr. Harvey pled not guilty to the charges. Soon thereafter, he changed his plea to guilty under the terms of a plea bargain agreement. He was sentenced to eighteen months in prison for each count, to be served concurrently. In addition to the prison time, Mr. Harvey was required to make a public apology to the Adolf Coors Company: “I want to publicly admit that I caused a mouse to be placed in a can of Coors beer and acknowledge the wrongdoing of that act.”100 In exchange, the company dropped its civil suit against Mr. Harvey. Assistant State Attorney E. McRae Mathis stated, We felt in this case it was appropriate and it was necessary to ensure that the consumer confidence in a consumer product was given back to a company because that is the very thing that was taken away.101 While one may speculate that a hoax such as this was undertaken purely for monetary reasons, this is not always the case. Although Mr. Harvey unabashedly sought monetary gain, he also sought revenge. He was involved in a minor traffic accident with an Adolf Coors Company delivery truck. In an act of retribution, Mr. Harvey “picked up a mouse by the tail, hit him in the head and put him in a can of beer.”102 Mr. Harvey’s avarice and desire for retribution caused massive losses for all involved. He lost his freedom, Coors lost money and reputation, and the mouse lost its life. 99 In 1987, following the Tylenol product tampering case, Florida and many other states toughened their laws to provide for harsher penalties for “tampering with a product to injure a person or company” (The Ottawa Citizen, Sept., 28, 1988). 100 Anon, “Mouse Fraud Admitted,” Newsday, October 26, 1988, p. 14. 101 Anon, “Beer Drinker Admits Mouse Prank Apology, Guilty Plea Satisfy Coors,” Orlando Sentinel, October 26, 1988, p. D. 1. 102 Anon, “Man Gets 18 Months in Prison for Placing Mouse in Beer Can,” Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph, October 26, 1988, p. B. 3. |
