If they're in Belize then they can probably ignore the judge, although it might be difficult for them to travel in future. If the judge really does have the power, perhaps he could start fining all the scammers and spammers in other hard-to-touch parts of the world.

flaunt? surely flout.

but $8000 dollars per day isn't enough

Criminals aren't going to stop their crimes until they end up in prison. They certainly aren't going to pay any attention to a court order while they are grabbing their loot and heading off to an unknown location to try and escape prosecution, ferchrissake. Hunt the dogs down and throw their worthless azzes in prison until it's time for a trial. Then give 'em 20 years and get on with life.

Interpol much?

Extradition? The article said the judge held them in 'civil contempt', ie, this is a civil matter not a criminal one.

IIRC you can't extradite someone for a civil matter, only criminal. And it the alledged offence has to be a criminal offence in both countries for the extradition to be granted.

So what we've got here is an American judge ordering a few guys in another country to pay fines and stop what their activities and it's a civil matter. Typical American arrogance if you ask me, thinking they have jurasdiction over another country.

There's not a cats chance in hell the defendants will pay the money, and not particularly likely they will cease their activities, if they're being paid for it! And there's not a cats chance in hell the judges orders can be enforced so why should the defendants care?

...is not *necessarily* an issue. Just because a company is incorporated in Belize, doesn't necessarily mean that it or its owners are located in Belize...

Its probably necessary to prosecute the company if only to get at their call center in Ohio. Also they won't ever be able to have in USA held assets, it might help with people seeking to have credit card charges reversed, it might help legitimate businesses avoid accidental dealings with the company or any future company with the same corporate leadership ....

Yeah its not really all that effective but at least the effort is being made.

I'm normally sensitive to jurisdiction issues, but in this case it appears that all of the players are in U.S. They are targeting U.S. consumers, taking orders in the U.S., and cashing the check in the U.S. The only thing in some hard-to-reach country is the corporate registration of a front. The money probably gets stuffed into an account in a different hard-to-reach country, in a way that's difficult to track.

Don't you know he who has the most expensive lawyers wins. Or does the modern history of US jurisprudence seem like common sense to you?

Belize is NOT a British colony. It once was, but not anymore. It gained independence in 1981. It is as much its own country just like the Australia, Canada, Trinidad & Tobago and many other ex-colonies. You may be confusing Belize with the Caymans, which are still a British Overseas Territory (along with Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos, and Anguilla in the Caribbean).

Belize is still a constitutional monarchy though, identical to the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada and Australia, and QE II is still the monarch.

No, Belize is a _former_ British Colony. So it's very much like America.