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36
opening to insure only liquid is inside.107 Pepsi opened many cans of beverages and did not find any foreign objects in even one can of soda. Laboratory test results found no contamination or disease of any kind and the FDA informed the public that the acidity of the soda would kill any bacteria or virus (even the AIDS virus) that might have been present on the needle and syringe. Because of the lack of pattern in the claims and the lack of evidence of any foreign objects in any unopened Pepsi product, officials at the company and the FDA began to believe they were dealing with a widespread hoax where the “major motivation for tampering hoaxes is the expectation of being able to sue large companies for damages.”108 David Kessler of the FDA stated: “History show that after an initial complaint of tampering receives widespread publicity, there are always subsequent complaints, many of which turn out to be false.”109 By close of business Tuesday, Pepsi stock had lost an additional sixty-three cents per share, making the total loss to that point, almost one dollar per share.
Tuesday night brought a change of tide. Christopher Burnette of Pennsylvania was arrested on federal charges of making a false report of finding a syringe in a can of Pepsi. With this development, FDA Chief Kessler cautioned the public that
making a false reports about tampering with consumer products is a serious federal crime with severe penalties – a maximum of five years in prison and a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar fine. Federal sentencing guidelines
107 David A. Kessler, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Statement on Pepsi Tampering, News June 13, 1993, http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/NEW00411.html.
108 John Schwartz, “See What’s in the Can, FDA Urges/More Syringes Reportedly Found,” Houston Chronicle, June 16, 1993, p. 1.
109 Ibid.
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 42 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 36 opening to insure only liquid is inside.107 Pepsi opened many cans of beverages and did not find any foreign objects in even one can of soda. Laboratory test results found no contamination or disease of any kind and the FDA informed the public that the acidity of the soda would kill any bacteria or virus (even the AIDS virus) that might have been present on the needle and syringe. Because of the lack of pattern in the claims and the lack of evidence of any foreign objects in any unopened Pepsi product, officials at the company and the FDA began to believe they were dealing with a widespread hoax where the “major motivation for tampering hoaxes is the expectation of being able to sue large companies for damages.”108 David Kessler of the FDA stated: “History show that after an initial complaint of tampering receives widespread publicity, there are always subsequent complaints, many of which turn out to be false.”109 By close of business Tuesday, Pepsi stock had lost an additional sixty-three cents per share, making the total loss to that point, almost one dollar per share. Tuesday night brought a change of tide. Christopher Burnette of Pennsylvania was arrested on federal charges of making a false report of finding a syringe in a can of Pepsi. With this development, FDA Chief Kessler cautioned the public that making a false reports about tampering with consumer products is a serious federal crime with severe penalties – a maximum of five years in prison and a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar fine. Federal sentencing guidelines 107 David A. Kessler, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Statement on Pepsi Tampering, News June 13, 1993, http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/NEW00411.html. 108 John Schwartz, “See What’s in the Can, FDA Urges/More Syringes Reportedly Found,” Houston Chronicle, June 16, 1993, p. 1. 109 Ibid. |
