'Spam King' escapes from federal prison in Florence
Bill Scanlonand Tillie Fong, Rocky Mountain News
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Edward Davidson left a federal prison Sunday with his wife.
The man known as "The Spam King" walked away from a minimum-security federal prison Sunday in Florence and was last seen in Lakewood.
Edward "Eddie" Davidson, 35, was sentenced in April to serve 21 months in prison for his role in sending hundreds of thousands of unsolicited fraudulent e-mails touting certain penny stocks as excellent investments. Davidson also was ordered to pay $714,139 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service and to forfeit gold coins and other property he purchased with ill-gotten gains.
He'd been in the Florence facility for about a month and a half when he escaped.
According to Lakewood police Tuesday, Davidson apparently escaped when his wife came to visit him Sunday in Florence. "He jumped in the car with his wife," said Will Cochenour of the Lakewood police Tuesday. "When they were leaving, he forced her in the car, brought them home and left after a change in clothing. He's still at large."
It was not clear Tuesday whether Davidson or his wife was driving the vehicle from Florence to Lakewood.
Davidson was last seen leaving the home on South Fig Street on Sunday afternoon in his wife's 2006 silver Toyota Sequoia.
U.S. Marshals are leading the search for Davidson, with the FBI, IRS and the Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force assisting. A warrant for Davidson was issued shortly after his escape.
Between 2002 and 2005, Davidson's Power Promoters spamming network promoted watches, perfumes and other products, U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said. Then he started concentrating on a Texas company's penny stock.
Eid and prosecutor Tim Neff said the e-mail messages Davidson and his subcontractors sent to hundreds of thousands of addresses contained false header information that concealed the actual sender.
The agreement that led to his guilty plea and 21-month sentence says Davidson, of Louisville, made at least $3.5 million in the fraudulent scheme.
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July 23, 2008
4:58 a.m.
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RickyLee writes:
Good, now they can tack ten years onto this wothless P.O.S.'s
sentence when they catch him. What a scumbag.
July 23, 2008
5:42 a.m.
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plotz writes:
I suspect that he had more money and goods hidden that the government knows about. If so, he is out of the country by now. He must been in the FPC part of Florence where there is no fences and the like. What surprises me is how long did it take the Fed's to notice he was gone and how he managed to get back to Lakewood. This was planned for some time.
July 23, 2008
5:42 a.m.
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Milehighguy writes:
Since when do prisioners just walk out of Federal prisons? Now I feel safe. Minimum security seems to mean no security.
July 23, 2008
6:17 a.m.
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plotz writes:
If he was in a Federal Prison Camp, there is no fences and the like.
July 23, 2008
8:43 a.m.
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OhBrother writes:
3.5 million off a scam and he gets 21 months? at a "jail" you can just stroll out of? gotta love the dandy justice system
July 23, 2008
9:16 a.m.
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windskull writes:
Yep only in America...and a few despicable nations stupid enough to want to copy us
July 23, 2008
10:17 a.m.
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Scott writes:
If and when this POS gets caught it will be put into a regular prison. I hope he like "dancing backwards" with Bubba, Big Willie and Ben Over :-) This wimp should have "toughed out" his 21 months at Club Fed.
Scott
July 23, 2008
10:58 a.m.
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buffsblg writes:
Minimum security can mean no fences and no guards. The reason we have these for the least violent offenders is that they cost alot less than more secure facilities. All those who think we need to lock everyone in a high security prison need to be willing to pay a lot more in taxes to do so. The federal prison budget last year was over 5 billion dollars and just building one medium security prison cost 250 million.
In the vast majority of cases the convicted just do their time, as walking away is a separate federal crime that carries more time and in a much worse place. From talking to people in there, minimum security are not "club fed' but they beat the heck out of the next step up and most people are smart and tough enough to serve their time.
Scott is right (that is a hard phrase to type) this guy better be long gone, because if he is caught his new cell mates are likely to be a bit rougher types than where he left. I doubt his years behind a computer gave him the street skills to thrive in hard core lock up.
July 23, 2008
11:05 a.m.
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buffsblg writes:
Mistake, of course there are guards, but not guard towers and gates.
July 23, 2008
12:31 p.m.
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El_Mariachi writes:
GREAT!...Now we're not safe!...We're going to get "spammed" to death now!...Stay away from your computers!
July 23, 2008
1:34 p.m.
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happymike44 writes:
Such a nice guy hope he gets to go to a nicer prison.
When did anybody notice him missing when he missed his spa treatment.
Well now he is on the run and his investors are left holding the bag.
He destroyed peoples lives and used them like kleenex,and toss them into the waste can.
So let's find this guy and send him to a real prison and see how he likes his new roomies.
Maybe they can teach him to make a shive out of a toothbrush.
So now he can learn how to commit identity fraud and a host of other frauds.
July 23, 2008
2:38 p.m.
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SL10 writes:
I hope he get 20 year added to his sentence not 10.
July 28, 2008
2:09 a.m.
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misterchinaski writes:
rororowyourboat, ha, spammed to death. how about shot to death!!!