AOL: "There be gold in that thar yard!"

AOL is preparing to dig for buried gold and platinum on property in Massachusetts owned by the parents of a man it sued for sending millions of unwanted spam e-mails to its customers.

AOL said yesterday that it intends to search for gold and platinum bars it thinks are hidden near the home of Davis Wolfgang Hawke's parents on two acres in Medfield, Mass. The family said it will fight AOL's plan in court.

AOL won a $12.8 million judgment last year in U.S. District Court in Virginia against Hawke but has been unable to contact Hawke to collect any of the money he was ordered to pay.

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AOL defended its efforts.

"This exercise isn't something out of . . . 'Treasure Island,' " AOL spokesman Nicholas Graham said. "This is a court-directed, judge-approved legal process that is simply aimed at responsibly recovering hidden assets."

To win a judge's permission for the search, AOL submitted receipts reflecting large purchases by Hawke of gold and platinum bars, Graham said. The company indicated that it thinks Hawke buried the gold and platinum on his parents' property.