ALBANY -- A DeWitt tobacco company is being sued by the State Attorney General.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed a federal lawsuit against Tobacco House C.C.W.
The business, at 4465 E. Genesee Street, is accused of evading cigarette taxes by providing customers with loose tobacco, tubes of cigarette paper and access to machinery that instantly produces assembled cigarettes for customers onsite.
Schneiderman says this "Roll Your Own" business violates state laws by selling the components of cigarettes and facilitating customers' production of untaxed and unsafe cigarettes.
The lawsuit against Tobacco House claims that this business, its owner, and its employees, are in violation of the Federal Contraband Cigarette Trafficking Act, the New York State Cigarette Marketing Standards Act, New York State tax law, and New York's Cigarette Fire Safety Act.
“Rather than playing by the rules, this store and others like it are cheating the state out of millions of dollars per year in legitimate tax revenue and endangering public health and safety while they’re doing it,” says Schneiderman.
Consumers who would like to report businesses with "Roll Your Own" machines that are not charging applicable state taxes are asked to call the Attorney General's Tobacco Compliance Bureau: (212) 416-6343.
