Roger Stone Lobbies for Vape Firm Facing Legal Issues in New York

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Buffalo-based vape distributor Ecto World, which faces multiple lawsuits from New York state and city officials for allegedly marketing illicit, flavored nicotine products to children, retained political consultant Roger Stone to lobby the Executive Office of the President. Between the company's hiring of Stone and June, Ecto World paid him at least $300,000 to address the regulation of e-cigarettes. This engagement followed actions by New York authorities, including the March seizure of over 28,000 pounds of illicit products and threats of criminal charges against Ecto World and its owner, Matthew Glauser. Glauser stated the company hired Stone to help fix the regulatory system, despite Stone's history of criminal convictions and his role as a longtime advisor to Donald Trump.

Consequences

The engagement of Roger Stone suggests an attempt by Ecto World to bypass state-level legal pressure by seeking federal intervention regarding the regulation of vaping products. Given the Trump administration's history of dropping charges against other high-paying clients of Stone, such as Roger Ver, this lobbying effort represents a high-stakes strategy to influence federal regulatory outcomes amid pending state-level criminal investigations.

Sources

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