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NEWS > U.S.A. > DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE INVESTIGATING PROCTER & GAMBLE OVER MAGIC ERASER
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE INVESTIGATING PROCTER & GAMBLE OVER MAGIC ERASER
February 24 2009
Washington, DC – The Department of Justice has acknowledged that they have indeed been conducting an investigation into Procter & Gamble, specifically into on product, the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. The DOJ investigation has been ongoing for at least six months and was apparently prompted by a number of complaints from law enforcement officials across the country regarding the cleaning sponge and its ties to a number of crimes.
“The DOJ has over the last six months been investigating the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and its effects on crime fighting for the last six months. This investigation was initiated at the behest of no fewer than 65 law enforcement agencies across the country,” said the department in an official statement. “We are investigating whether or not this product has played an active or passive role in the covering up of a number of crimes, specifically murders. Our goal is to determine the legal status of this product and whether or not it constitutes a threat to our criminal and judicial system. The investigation is ongoing and Proctor & Gamble officials are fully co-operating.” 
The DOJ also stated that they had received many more complaints than the 65 that are officially a part of the investigation but that it was decided refine the list of complainants to the ‘most dire’, including the D.C. area slaying of an 8 year-old girl. Procter & Gamble officials had no comment.
“It’s easy to see how this could be a problem if you’ve ever actually used a ‘Magic Eraser’. It gets almost any stain out of any material with little to no effort. I can see how it could be appealing for criminals and it could lead to significant problems for Procter & Gamble,” said Scrape TV Legal analyst Gabe Hawthorne. “Personally I used one just the other day after my 2 year-old threw her strawberries across the kitchen. It actually looked a bit like a murder scene but with a few quick wipes it was gone. It’s as close to magic as you can get when it comes to cleaning supplies and the company is going to have a tough road arguing their case.”
The ‘Magic Eraser’ is actually melamine foam and has been produced for over twenty years, primarily as a form of insulation. Procter & Gamble began marketing the foam under the brand ‘Magic Eraser’ in 2002 after its discovery as a cleaning agent.
“I can’t speak to the specifics in any of these cases, but I have heard of incidents where these erasers were used to clean bodily fluids such as blood and semen but never where it’s been an impediment to an actual criminal investigation,” continued Hawthorne. “This could be a very sticky situation for the company, and not one they’ll be able to clean up very easily. The 
‘Magic Eraser’ is one of their leading products and any stain on that brand could damage it irreparably. They may be forced to dilute the effects somehow or pull the product of the market completely. Neither option is a particularly good one in this economy but they may not have an option.”
The DOJ didn’t specify what actions may or may not be taken against the company and the product, though a determination of intent still has to be determined.
“My guess is that Procter & Gamble didn’t deliberately make a product to cover up murder but that is what this investigation is going to determine. In the United States 
intent is irrelevant as is ignorance of the law. If you participate in the covering up of a crime you are as criminally responsible as the person who actually committed the crime. There can be no doubt that this product is specifically designed to clean stains and that is exactly what criminals are looking for,” continued
Hawthorne. “Traditionally companies have been immune from this kind of prosecution but even if they are able to successfully mount a legal defence their brand will have been tarnished. And that isn’t good when your brand is Mr. Clean. It’s just hard to live down dead kids and they are going to find that their biggest challenge.”
The DOJ had no comment on when the investigation will conclude or what kind of cleaning products are used at the Department of Justice building.
“It would be ironic if they used the ‘Magic Eraser’,” continued Hawthorne. “Ironic but very clean.”
Mike Michaels, American Correspondent
NEWS > U.S.A. > DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE INVESTIGATING PROCTER & GAMBLE OVER MAGIC ERASER
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