Judge had ordered mental health counseling

By Jeff Smith, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published July 24, 2008 at 6:47 p.m.
Updated July 24, 2008 at 7:05 p.m.

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Edward "Eddie" Davidson's sentencing in April indicated no known criminal history, and federal Judge Marcia Krieger didn't deem the convicted spammer as likely to flee or pose a danger to the safety of others.

But Krieger did order mental health counseling for Davidson, referring to a statement by him that suggested he was under significant stress.

"He has some difficulty due to his diagnosis of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) in focusing on all of his responsibilities, and he obviously has some unresolved issues with regard to his childhood and how he was raised that he believes impair his ability to make good decisions in the future," she said, according to a transcript of the proceedings.

Davidson, 35, who fled a minimum-security federal prison Sunday in Florence and now is said to be responsible for a murder-suicide, isn't the only spammer who's operated in Colorado in the past few years. But he was prolific enough to be labeled the "Spam King" by prosecutors working on his case.

He was sentenced in April to serve 21 months in prison for his role in sending hundreds of thousands of unsolicited and fraudulent e-mails from his Bennett home. His business, Power Promoters, peddled watches, perfume and penny stock investments for 19 clients.

Davidson grossed $3.5 million between 2003 and 2006, according to court filings, money that wasn't reported to the Internal Revenue Service.

Krieger wasn't sympathetic to Davidson's belief that he came from a rough childhood.

"But quite frankly, comparing his childhood to most of the people who appear in this courtroom, it is not a rough childhood," she said. "He has enjoyed the fruits of being able to work and support his family."

She also didn't buy his argument that his crime was in trying to help people.

"There is a common belief in this society that if you don't pay money that you owe and if you play games on the Internet, it doesn't hurt anybody. It does. There are victims here. . . . To say that you have not done anything wrong indicates to me that you do not appreciate your responsibility here. You still are making excuses for it and justifications for it."

Krieger said she felt sorry for his family, and said he should apologize to them for his bad choices and because he would be depriving them of his comfort and love while he was in prison.

She wouldn't recommend Davidson for a facility in the Denver metro area, but she did recommend that he be placed in a prison in Colorado.

"I do that not in deference to Mr. Davidson, but in deference to his children, because they have relationships with him, and it's my hope that they will continue their relationships with him during his incarceration."

• July 24, 2008

  10:07 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  FCZ writes:

  federal Judge Marcia Krieger

  http://www.therobingroom.com/Judge.as...

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