Jury finds Net pharmacy kingpin guilty


Jurors convicted online pharmacy kingpin Christopher Smith on nine charges, including conspiracy to unlawfully sell drugs and launder money. One of the counts includes a minimum 20-year prison sentence.

The Burnsville entrepreneur, who trolled for customers by setting loose a flood of spam e-mail, amassed a fortune selling prescription drugs via Xpress Pharmacy Direct.

The 26-year-old once owned a million-dollar house in Prior Lake, drove a Lamborghini, kept a mistress and handed out painkillers to his call-center operators.