{{Infobox person |name = Leo Kuvayev |birth_name = Leonid Aleksandrovitch Kuvayev |other_names = Alex Rodrigez |image = |image_size = 80x100 |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1972|05|13|df=y}} }}
'''Leonid Aleksandrovitch Kuvayev''' (born 13 May 1972), who usually goes by the name of '''Leo''', is a Russian/American spammer<ref>{{Cite web |title=Spamhaus ROKSO: Leo Kuvayev / BadCow |url=http://www.spamhaus.org/rokso/listing.lasso?-op=cn&spammer=Leo%20Kuvayev%20/%20BadCow |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204065441/http://www.spamhaus.org/rokso/listing.lasso?-op=cn&spammer=Leo%20Kuvayev%20/%20BadCow |archive-date=2012-02-04 |access-date=2026-01-03 |website=Spamhaus}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spamhaus.org/rokso/listing.lasso?file=903|title=Spamhaus ROKSO: BadCow / mAiLIEN|website=Spamhaus.org|accessdate=18 October 2018|archive-date=11 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111021028/http://www.spamhaus.org/rokso/listing.lasso?file=903|url-status=dead}}</ref> and convicted child molester believed to have been the ringleader of one of the world's biggest spam gangs. In 2005, he and six business partners were fined $37 million as a result of a lawsuit brought by the Massachusetts attorney general.<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4539715.stm Massachusetts tackles spam gang] BBC News, May 12, 2005</ref> It was found that they were responsible for millions of unsolicited e-mails per day. According to Spamhaus he could be the "Pharmamaster" spammer who performed a denial-of-service attack (DDoS) against the BlueSecurity company.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Spamhaus ROKSO: Spam King Leo Kuvayev Jailed on Child Sex Charges |url=http://www.spamhaus.org/rokso/evidence.lasso?rokso_id=ROK9179 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202185152/http://www.spamhaus.org/rokso/evidence.lasso?rokso_id=ROK9179 |archive-date=2012-02-02 |access-date=2026-01-03 |website=Spamhaus}}</ref> Kuvayev is also behind countless phishing and money mule recruiting sites hosted on botnets. He has been called a "spam czar",<ref>{{Cite news|title='Spam King' Robert Alan Soloway Pleads Guilty|date=17 March 2008|url=https://www.informationweek.com/spam-king-robert-alan-soloway-pleads-guilty/d/d-id/1065753|work=InformationWeek}}</ref> and a "virtual criminal".<ref>{{Cite news|title=Beauty in the chaos (Translation from Spanish)|date=8 January 2013|url=https://www.clarin.com/literatura/caos-literatura-experimental-mails-spam_0_S1U-qm2ovQg.html|work=Clarín (Argentine newspaper)}}</ref>
Kuvayev has registered domains with registrars operating in China, New Zealand, and France. Most of his actual web pages have been hosted in China. It is suspected by some information security professionals that Kuvayev may have been involved in the operation and control of the Storm botnet.<ref name=InfoWeek_091707>David Utter, Security Pro News, [http://www.securitypronews.com/news/securitynews/spn-45-20070713StormBotnetDrivingPDFSpam.html "Storm Botnet Driving PDF Spam"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070923002343/http://www.securitypronews.com/news/securitynews/spn-45-20070713StormBotnetDrivingPDFSpam.html |date=2007-09-23 }}, July 13, 2007.</ref>
As of 1 June 2011, Kuvayev had confessed to sex crimes, sexually molesting girls as young as 13 years of age using the basement of his office in Moscow as a "dungeon". Kuvayev allegedly targeted vulnerable youngsters from children's homes, some of whom had mental or learning disabilities. Reports indicated that Kuvayev could face up to 20 years in prison for each offence.<ref>[https://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/06/01/notorious_spammer_child_abuse/ Notorious Russian spammer 'admits child abuse'] The Register, June 1, 2011</ref><ref name=Sophos.com>Graham Cluley, Sophos.com, [http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/05/31/spam-king-kuvayev-child-sex-charges/ "Spam king faces jail after admitting child sex charges"] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130203114538/http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/05/31/spam-king-kuvayev-child-sex-charges/ |date=2013-02-03 }}, May 31, 2011.</ref><ref name=TheMoscowNews.com>Tom Washington, The Moscow News, [http://themoscownews.com/society/20110530/188704777.html "Cyber crime lord faces child rape charges"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103135853/http://themoscownews.com/society/20110530/188704777.html |date=2011-11-03 }}, May 30, 2011.</ref>
On 23 March 2012, a court in Moscow found Kuvayev guilty of sexual molestation charges.<ref name="Lenta.ru">Lenta.ru, Rambler Media Group, [http://www.lenta.ru/news/2012/03/24/kuvaev/&act=url "Jury convicts Spammer-Pedophile Kuvayev"], March 23, 2012.</ref> On 29 March 2012, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spinella |first=Peter |date=2012-04-02 |title=Russia's 'King of Spam' Gets 20 Years for Child Sex Abuse |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2012/04/02/russias-king-of-spam-gets-20-years-for-child-sex-abuse-a13764 |access-date=2026-01-03 |website=The Moscow Times |language=en}}</ref>
==See also== *Sanford Wallace *Oleg Nikolaenko *List of spammers
==References== <references/>
==External links== *[http://www.spamhaus.org/rokso/evidence.lasso?rokso_id=ROK6493 Spamhaus record linking the alias Alex Rodrigez to Leo Kuvayev] *[http://www.spamtrackers.eu/wiki/index.php?title=Leo_Kuvayev European Spam Wiki entry on Leo Kuvayev] *[http://spamvertised.abusebutler.com/whois.php?dom=lowpriceoem.com AbuseButler recent WHOIS for Alex Rodrigez domain] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519062604/http://spamvertised.abusebutler.com/whois.php?dom=lowpriceoem.com |date=2011-05-19 }} *[http://www.rp-online.de/public/article/aktuelles/digitale/internet/451187 The devil in the Internet, comprehensive article on Kuvayev and his vita so far] (in German)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuvayev, Leo}} Category:1972 births Category:21st-century Russian criminals Category:Email spammers Category:Living people Category:People convicted of child pornography offenses Category:American people convicted of sexual assault Category:Russian cybercriminals Category:Russian expatriates in the United States Category:Russian people convicted of child sexual abuse Category:Russian people convicted of rape Category:Russian rapists Category:Violence against women in Russia Category:Incidents of violence against girls