Davis Wolfgang Hawke
Encyclopedia
Davis Wolfgang Hawke is a spammer
who was sued by AOL
in 2004 under the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003
. Previously, in 1999 he started two neo-Nazi groups to make the "final solution
a reality." He has been dubbed by the press as the "spam Nazi."
in 1996. According to Hawke's mother, he was in contact with Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold
(the shooters of the Columbine High School massacre
). Subsequently, he changed his name from Andrew Britt Greenbaum to the current name on 1997 after his 18th birthday. He then went on to attend Wofford College
in South Carolina completing only two years.
Despite his father being Jewish while attending school he was a speaker and leader for two Neo-Nazi groups he started. His success was very limited. He began selling Nazi merchandise and offering membership to his internet neo-Nazi group "Knights of Freedom" and later the American Nationalist Party. He dropped out of college and turned his computer skills into spamming following embarrassingly low turnouts, and support for his neo-Nazi groups. Hawke went on to earn thousands of dollars each week spamming email and cell phone numbers.
Hawke is known to be an aficionado of chess. In high school, he achieved a United States Chess Federation
rating of nearly 2000. In the late 1990s he played in South Carolina and Tennessee under the pseudonym Walter Smith. He played throughout Colorado as David A. Wallace on and off before disappearing around summer of 2006.
Over the years, Hawke used numerous aliases, even among his closest friends and business associates. During his time as a neo-Nazi, he referred to himself as Bo Decker. As a spammer, he typically went by aliases including Walter Cross, Johnny Durango, and Dave Bridger.
At a chess tournament in 2001, Hawke met Braden (Brad) Bournival, a New Hampshire high school student. Hawke tutored Bournival in the spam business, and, in 2003, they co-founded Amazing Internet Products. The company, which had offices in Manchester, New Hampshire
, was responsible for millions of spams for an herbal (Yohimbe) "penis enhancement" product called Pinacle. By the summer of 2003, Amazing Internet Products was grossing around $500,000 per month.
One of Hawke's spam affiliates was Robby Todino, the so-called Time Travel Spammer
.
In 2004 AOL
won a $12.8-million judgment against Hawke in America Online, Inc. v. Davis Wolfgang Hawke, et al. AOL accused Hawke of violating anti-spam laws by sending unwanted emails to its subscribers and won its case in a default judgment
against Hawke.
On August 15, 2006 AOL announced their intention to search for buried precious metals on the property of Hawke's parents in Medfield, Massachusetts
. Hawke had previously claimed to have converted assets into precious metals and buried them. In 2007 AOL decided against the dig to search for the gold Hawke bragged about when he earned an estimated $600,000 for spamming ads for penis enlargement pills. His current whereabouts are unknown; however, rumors say that he may be in hiding in South America.
Hawke's rise and fall as a spammer was chronicled in the 2004 book Spam Kings, in which he is the central case study.
E-mail spam
Email spam, also known as junk email or unsolicited bulk email , is a subset of spam that involves nearly identical messages sent to numerous recipients by email. Definitions of spam usually include the aspects that email is unsolicited and sent in bulk. One subset of UBE is UCE...
who was sued by AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
in 2004 under the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003
CAN-SPAM Act of 2003
The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 , signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 16, 2003, establishes the United States' first national standards for the sending of commercial e-mail and requires the Federal Trade Commission to enforce its provisions...
. Previously, in 1999 he started two neo-Nazi groups to make the "final solution
Final Solution
The Final Solution was Nazi Germany's plan and execution of the systematic genocide of European Jews during World War II, resulting in the most deadly phase of the Holocaust...
a reality." He has been dubbed by the press as the "spam Nazi."
Biography
He graduated from Westwood High SchoolWestwood High School (Massachusetts)
Westwood High School, or WHS is a public four-year high school located in Westwood, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is fed by E.W. Thurston Middle School, Westwood, Massachusetts.- History :...
in 1996. According to Hawke's mother, he was in contact with Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold
Eric David Harris and Dylan Bennet Klebold were American high school seniors who committed the Columbine High School massacre. They killed 13 people—including teacher Dave Sanders—and injured 24 others, three of whom were injured as they escaped the attack...
(the shooters of the Columbine High School massacre
Columbine High School massacre
The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, near Denver and Littleton. Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12...
). Subsequently, he changed his name from Andrew Britt Greenbaum to the current name on 1997 after his 18th birthday. He then went on to attend Wofford College
Wofford College
Established in 1854 and related to the United Methodist Church, Wofford College is an independent, Phi Beta Kappa liberal arts college of 1,525 students located in downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. The historic campus is recognized as a national arboretum and features “The...
in South Carolina completing only two years.
Despite his father being Jewish while attending school he was a speaker and leader for two Neo-Nazi groups he started. His success was very limited. He began selling Nazi merchandise and offering membership to his internet neo-Nazi group "Knights of Freedom" and later the American Nationalist Party. He dropped out of college and turned his computer skills into spamming following embarrassingly low turnouts, and support for his neo-Nazi groups. Hawke went on to earn thousands of dollars each week spamming email and cell phone numbers.
Hawke is known to be an aficionado of chess. In high school, he achieved a United States Chess Federation
United States Chess Federation
The United States Chess Federation is a non-profit organization, the governing chess organization within the United States, and one of the federations of the FIDE. The USCF was founded in 1939 from the merger of two regional chess organizations, and grew gradually until 1972, when membership...
rating of nearly 2000. In the late 1990s he played in South Carolina and Tennessee under the pseudonym Walter Smith. He played throughout Colorado as David A. Wallace on and off before disappearing around summer of 2006.
Over the years, Hawke used numerous aliases, even among his closest friends and business associates. During his time as a neo-Nazi, he referred to himself as Bo Decker. As a spammer, he typically went by aliases including Walter Cross, Johnny Durango, and Dave Bridger.
At a chess tournament in 2001, Hawke met Braden (Brad) Bournival, a New Hampshire high school student. Hawke tutored Bournival in the spam business, and, in 2003, they co-founded Amazing Internet Products. The company, which had offices in Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
, was responsible for millions of spams for an herbal (Yohimbe) "penis enhancement" product called Pinacle. By the summer of 2003, Amazing Internet Products was grossing around $500,000 per month.
One of Hawke's spam affiliates was Robby Todino, the so-called Time Travel Spammer
Time travel urban legends
Time travel urban legends are accounts of persons who allegedly traveled through time, reported by the press or circulated on the Internet. All of these reports have turned out either to be hoaxes or to be based on incorrect assumptions, incomplete information, or interpretation of fiction as...
.
In 2004 AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
won a $12.8-million judgment against Hawke in America Online, Inc. v. Davis Wolfgang Hawke, et al. AOL accused Hawke of violating anti-spam laws by sending unwanted emails to its subscribers and won its case in a default judgment
Default judgment
Default judgment is a binding judgment in favor of either party based on some failure to take action by the other party. Most often, it is a judgment in favor of a plaintiff when the defendant has not responded to a summons or has failed to appear before a court of law...
against Hawke.
On August 15, 2006 AOL announced their intention to search for buried precious metals on the property of Hawke's parents in Medfield, Massachusetts
Medfield, Massachusetts
Medfield is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,024 according to the 2010 Census. Medfield is an affluent community about 17 miles southwest of Boston....
. Hawke had previously claimed to have converted assets into precious metals and buried them. In 2007 AOL decided against the dig to search for the gold Hawke bragged about when he earned an estimated $600,000 for spamming ads for penis enlargement pills. His current whereabouts are unknown; however, rumors say that he may be in hiding in South America.
Hawke's rise and fall as a spammer was chronicled in the 2004 book Spam Kings, in which he is the central case study.
External links
- Knights of Freedom -Hawke's former website from Archive.org
- America Online, Inc. v. Davis Wolfgang Hawke, et al from Eastern District of VirginiaUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of VirginiaThe United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of two United States district courts serving the Commonwealth of Virginia...