Top Spammer Behind Bars
Robert Soloway sent so much spam that prosecutors think that worldwide spam will be noticeably reduced during his lockup. We’ll see. Paint me skeptical. I don’t really get too miffed about the spam- but botting a lot of unsuspecting people’s computers is wrong. And the DOJ is taking him down for that.
From the AP here:
A 27-year-old man described as one of the world’s most prolific spammers was arrested Wednesday, and federal authorities said computer users across the Web could notice a decrease in the amount of junk e-mail.
Robert Alan Soloway was using networks of compromised “zombie” computers to send out millions upon millions of spam e-mails.
A federal grand jury last week returned a 35-count indictment against Soloway charging him with mail fraud, wire fraud, e-mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering.
Soloway pleaded not guilty Wednesday afternoon to all charges after a judge determined that — even with four bank accounts seized by the government — he was sufficiently well off to pay for his own lawyer.
He has been living in a ritzy apartment and drives an expensive Mercedes convertible, said prosecutor Kathryn Warma. Prosecutors are seeking to have him forfeit $773,000 they say he made from his business, Newport Internet Marketing Corp.
U.S. Attorney Jeff Sullivan said Wednesday that the case is the first in the country in which federal prosecutors have used identity theft statutes to prosecute a spammer for taking over someone else’s Internet domain name. Soloway could face decades in prison, though prosecutors said they have not calculated what guideline sentencing range he might face.
The part about identity theft for hijacking a domain name seems a bit farfetched- and unnecessary. If Soloway was guilty of botting a host, he should be tried for computer intrusion. If he used another computer without permission, he should be charged for illegal access to a computer system.
I checked this morning and I’m receiving just as much spam as ever. If he was the Spam King, he’s still just a drop in the bucket. The indictment is here.
