The last few months have seen a huge crackdown in cybercrime, particularly spamming. There has been cases over the last month or so which have seen notorious spammers either fined or imprisoned for their actions.

The punishments for spamming seem to becoming harsher and there’s no doubt that these are positive steps toward preventing cybercrimes. However, we wonder if that progress isn’t one step forward, two steps back when we hear that a man who was convicted for tax evasion and federal spamming has managed to walk away from a Florence Federal Correctional Complex in Colorado just weeks after he began serving his sentence.

Edward Davidson pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion and criminal spamming in December and was sentenced to 21 months in April. He was also ordered to pay a tidy sum of in and around $700,000 to our friends in the IRS.

Between 2003 and 2006, Davidson is rumored to have garnered over $3.5 million from spamming alone. Through his company, Power Promoters, which he ran from his home, he sent hundreds of thousands of mail messages made to look like they came from well known companies like AOL.

According to PC World, Davidson sent messages on behalf of an unnamed Houston company. He was asked to promote about 19 penny-stock companies and earned himself $1.4 million for his troubles.

Davidson is being treated as an escapee and is being pursued by local police, the FBI, the IRS and U.S. Marshals.

via PC World

UPDATE 1: According to the Rocky Mountain News, Davidson escaped when his wife came to visit him on Sunday. Will Cochenour of the Lakewood police told RMN that Mr Davidson "jumped into the car with his wife".

The Associated Press reports Davidson was last seen about 90 miles north of the prison.

UPDATE 2: 9NEWS claims Eddie Davidson was one of the victims of a murder-suicide in East Arkansas Place. Police haven’t released details of the victims’ identities, only that they were a man, woman and three year old girl. The two adults were found next to a silver Toyota and the toddler was found inside the SUV. A baby boy was also found in the back of the vehicle, unharmed. A teenage girl is in hospital being treated for a gunshot wound to the neck.