| Chris Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | Christopher William Smith January 28, 1980 Minneapolis-Saint Paul |
| Residence | Federal Correctional Complex, Beaumont |
| Other names | "Rizler" |
| Known for | spammer |
| Spouse | Anita Smith |
| Children | one son |
Christopher William Smith ("Rizler") (born January 28, 1980) was a prolific e-mail spammer, and sold drugs online from his illegal Xpress Pharmacy Direct in Burnsville, Minnesota, United States.[1] He is currently serving a 30 year prison sentence.
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Smith grew up in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area, splitting his time between his father's house on Lake Minnetonka and his mother's house in Burnsville. He attended high school at the Academy of Holy Angels and later transferred to a public school in Lakeville, but never completed high school.[2]
He was charged in August 2005 with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, wire fraud, selling misbranded drugs and money laundering. Federal officials added a count of operating a continuing criminal enterprise in a revised indictment filed in May 2006. During his final year in business he earned $18 million and had an 85-employee company.[3] In addition, he violated court order by leaving the country and withdrawing frozen assets.[3] After having his bail revoked, he then plotted to kill a witness, which was recorded by the jail phone system.[3]
In January 2006, Smith was, in a separate case, ordered to pay AOL $5.6 million (or $25,000 for every day he sent out spam e-mails) for spamming its members in 2003.[4]
In October 2006, Dr. Phillip Mach, who wrote the prescriptions for Smith's customers, plead guilty on one count of conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances, four counts of wire fraud, three counts of unlawful distribution and dispensing of a controlled substance, and five counts of introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce.[5]
In November 2006, Smith was convicted on nine counts by a federal jury in Minneapolis.[6] On August 1, 2007 he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for charges including plotting to have a witness in his case killed.[7]
Currently, Smith is housed at the Federal Correctional Institution Medium, Beaumont in the Federal Correctional Complex, Beaumont located near Beaumont, Texas. He has the Federal Bureau of Prisons ID # 12310-041 and his projected release date is April 04, 2023.[8]