Spammer Gets Jail for Nearly Two Years

Marcia S. Krieger, Judge of US District Court, on April 28, 2008 sentenced 35-year-old Edward Davidson of Louisville, Colorado to 21 months of jail and then 3 years of controlled liberation for spamming unsolicited e-mails for commercial purpose.

Judge Krieger further ordered Davidson to deposit $714,139 as restitution charges to the IRS (Internal Revenue Service). For paying this compensation, Davidson said that he would forfeit the gold coins and property he bought with the deceptively obtained money through his offense. Davidson was proved guilty on June 5, 2007 in federal court.

According to a plea agreement established on July 5, 2002 through April 15, 2007, Davidson ran a business under the name Power Promoters in Colorado. The basic activity of Davidson's business comprised promotional operations for company products by distributing vast amounts of unsolicited commercial e-mails, or in short, he was spamming.

Special Agent Terry L. Stuart, in-charge of the IRS-Criminal Investigation at Denver Field Office, said that spamming fake messages to victimize potential investors are component of a wider greed-driven scheme. It involves efforts to conceal assets and income from the IRS, Stuart said. Lawfuel published Stuart's statement on April 28, 2008.

The spam was developed to send promotional messages to increase the knowledge of availability and sale of goods on behalf of various companies. Davidson utilized the assistance and services of some people whom he sublet the contract of sending spam under his direction for his clients.

Davidson carried out his spamming activities to promote his client companies' perfume, watches and other products. Davidson, with the help of many sub-spammers, sent lakhs of unsolicited commercial e-mails to possible purchasers across the US and all over the world. The messages, also touted penny stocks, were meant to encourage investment in them. Davidson possessed a huge list of e-mail IDs that were used to spam his e-mails.

These e-mails contained deceptive header information that hid the sender's true identity from the message's recipient. Davidson provided his spamming services for about 19 companies and operated them from his residence in Bennett, Colorado. There he established several PCs and servers entwined in a network that simplified his business.

Related article: Spammers Continue their Campaigns Successfully

» SPAMfighter News - 5/1/2008