A Weblog About Topics and Issues Discussed in the Book Spam Kings by Brian McWilliams

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The mounting onslaught of email pitches for porn, pills, and penis enlargement has some techno-pundits declaring that spam is on the verge of destroying the Internet. In Spam Kings, author and investigative journalist Brian McWilliams delivers a compelling account of the cat-and-mouse game played by spam entrepreneurs (including the notorious Davis Wolfgang Hawke, "Dr. Fatburn," and Scott Richter) in search of easy fortunes and the cyber-vigilantes who are trying to stop them.

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« Drug dealer Rizler indicted | Main | Gmail accounts and spammers »

August 28, 2005

Rizler pleads not guilty

ankle braceletAs I expected, former spam-king (turned online drug-lord) Christopher Smith ("Rizler") has pleaded NOT guilty Friday to the slew of charges against him, which include conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, wire fraud, selling misbranded drugs and money laundering.

Smith will await trial in a halfway house and must wear an electronic monitoring device -- the same kind of ankle bracelet sported by Martha Stewart. (Prosecutors had wanted Smith jailed instead, to prevent another fugitive incident.)

The trial may not take place for months. Smith's attorney says he needs to conduct hundreds of interviews to prepare a defense. Meanwhile, the prosecution will be sifting through evidence and compiling its case.

Among the evidence listed in court records is a boatload of computer files and other data seized from Internet service providers who sold web hosting to Smith. For example, a server (IP address 216.127.66.111) confiscated from Everyones Internet, Inc. of Houston, Texas; and three servers (IP addresses 69.93.204.68, 69.93.243.74, and 69.93.142.170) confiscated from The Planet Internet Services of Dallas.

Also seized via search warrants was data from Ohio-based Jumpline.com, which hosted numerous Smith drug sites, including rxorderfill.com (IP 66.84.51.222), digihealthcorp.net (IP 66.84.51.222), supremeproductsltd.com (IP 66.84.51.222), digihealthcorp.com (IP 66.84.10.71), samedaypayday.com (IP 66.84.10.71), licensedrx.com (IP 66.84.10.71), re