The cost for his integrity was high. He lost his job, his home, his wife, and for a time, his reputation.

In the months and years that followed, Jeff’s story has been told in a variety of forms including the feature film, The Insider. However, his own in-depth account as detailed in “What Do You Stand For?” gives us a greater sense of what he was truly up against. It’s a story about honesty over loyalty; duty over deceit; persistence over pressure. What we come away with is not only a scientist’s search for the truth but the moral courage necessary to reveal that truth in spite of the consequences to himself.

One of the great joys of writing a book like “Stand For” was meeting with and discussing ethical issues with people like Jeff who have demonstrated an extraordinary amount of integrity and courage in their lives. During the past few years, I’m pleased to say that Jeff is not only an ethical hero, but a friend who teaches me, by his own example, how to lead a better life.

Today, Jeff speaks around the world not only about the dangers of cigarettes but the importance of ethics in our lives.

To learn more about Jeff and his work, visit www.jeffreywigand.com

“Can you smell the money?!?!?!” Jack Abramoff once wrote.

Abramoff was a top, DC lobbyist who became the central figure in a widely reported public corruption scandal.

Among the politicians, lobbyists, businessmen and Bush administration officials caught in the probe:

• Former Deputy Interior Secretary Steven Griles, the highest-ranking Bush administration official convicted in the scandal, pled guilty to obstruction of justice when he admitted lying to a Senate committee about his relationship with Abramoff, who repeatedly sought Griles’ intervention at Interior on behalf of Abramoff’s Indian gaming clients.

• Former White House official David Safavian, the Bush administration's former top procurement official, was sentenced to 18 months in prison in October 2006 after he was found guilty of covering up his dealings with Abramoff. Safavian is appealing his conviction.

• Former Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison, acknowledged taking bribes from Abramoff.

• William Heaton, former chief of staff for Ney, pled guilty to a federal conspiracy charge involving a golf trip to Scotland, expensive meals, and tickets to sporting events between 2002 and 2004 as payoffs for helping Abramoff's clients.

• Tony Rudy, lobbyist and one-time aide to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, pled guilty in March 2006 to conspiring with Abramoff.

• Michael Scanlon, a former Abramoff business partner and DeLay aide, pled guilty in November 2005 to conspiring to bribe public officials in connection with his lobbying work on behalf of Indian tribes and casino issues.

• Italia Federici, co-founder of the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, pled guilty to tax evasion and obstruction of a Senate investigation into Abramoff's relationship with officials at the Department of Interior.

Abramoff is serving six years in prison on a criminal case out of Florida, where he pled guilty to charges of conspiracy, fraud and tax evasion. He has not yet been sentenced on charges of mail fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion stemming from the influence-peddling scandal in Washington.