30 Years in the Hole: Spammer gets the Slammer

[mandy]

A federal judge sentenced internationally known e-mail spammer Christopher William Smith on Wednesday to 30 years in prison for running an illegal Internet pharmacy that sold about $24 million in prescription drugs.

U.S. District Judge Michael Davis called Smith, 27, a "drug kingpin" as he meted out the sentence requested by federal prosecutors. Though Davis expressed some misgivings about the length of the prison term recommended by sentencing guidelines, he said it was nonetheless reasonable...

full article: http://www.startribune.com/crime/story/1337623.html

more here:

mith's history with the law goes back to 2004, when he began to blast AOL users with e-mails advertising his illegal online pharmacy, porn, and fake college degrees. AOL filed suit against Smith for violating the 2004 CAN SPAM Act, and Smith was ultimately fined $5.3 million as a result in 2006, according to the Associated Press.

However, during the time between AOL's lawsuit being filed and the fine, a judge froze Smith's assets and issued a temporary restraining order barring him from continuing to sell prescription drugs online without a prescription. Smith instead attempted to move the business to the Dominican Republic, which was a violation of his restraining order and resulted in his arrest upon his return to the US...

full article: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/200...ammer.html