Fritz Artz Springmeier (born Viktor E. Schoof, September 24, 1955)[1][2] is an American author of conspiracy theory literature who has written a number of books claiming that a global elite who belong to Satanic bloodlines are conspiring to dominate the world.

[citation needed] Springmeier, formerly a resident of Corbett, Oregon, has written and self-published a number of books based on the subject of the family lineage bloodlines of the Illuminati and their use of mind control.

[5][6] Springmeier's early work, The Watchtower & the Masons, focuses on the relationship between Jehovah's Witnesses and Freemasonry.

In this book he describes a relationship between Charles Taze Russell and the so-called "Eastern Establishment".

[citation needed] On January 31, 2002, Springmeier was indicted in the United States District Court in Portland, Oregon in connection with an armed robbery.