Jury Convicts Former Owner of Nationwide Retail Chain Cigarettes Cheaper on All 28 Charges

A former owner and officer of Cigarettes Cheaper!, which at its height had nearly 800 retail stores nationwide and $1 billion in annual revenue, was convicted by a federal jury yesterday of one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and to make false statements to Comerica Bank, 13 counts of bank fraud, and 14 counts of false statements to a bank, United States Attorney Melinda Haag announced.