Man Described As A Top Spammer Arrested

tjw61 · #1 05-31-2007, 11:05 AM

Man described as a top spammer arrested

By GENE JOHNSON, AP Legal Affairs Writer2 hours, 29 minutes ago

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 is accused of using networks of compromised "zombie" computers to send out millions upon millions of spam e-mails.

"He's one of the top 10 spammers in the world," said Tim Cranton, a Microsoft Corp. lawyer who is senior director of the company's Worldwide Internet Safety Programs. "He's a huge problem for our customers. This is a very good day."

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.

A public defender who represented him for Wednesday's hearing declined to comment.

Prosecutors say Soloway used computers infected with malicious code to send out millions of junk e-mails since 2003. The computers are called "zombies" because owners typically have no idea their machines have been infected.

He continued his activities even after Microsoft won a $7 million civil judgment against him in 2005 and the operator of a small Internet service provider in Oklahoma won a $10 million judgment, prosecutors said.

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 investigation began when the authorities began receiving hundreds of complaints about Soloway, who had been featured on a list of known spammers kept by The Spamhaus Project, an international anti-spam organization.

The Santa Barbara County, Calif., Department of Social Services said it was spending $1,000 a week to fight the spam it was receiving, and other businesses and individuals complained of having their reputations damaged when it appeared spam was originating from their computers.

"This is not just a nuisance. This is way beyond a nuisance," Warma said.

Soloway used the networks of compromised computers to send out unsolicited bulk e-mails urging people to use his Internet marketing company to advertise their products, authorities said.

People who clicked on a link in the e-mail were directed to his Web site. There, Soloway advertised his ability to send out as many as 20 million e-mail advertisements over 15 days for $495, the indictment said.

The Spamhaus Project rejoiced at his arrest.

"Soloway has been a long-term nuisance on the Internet — both in terms of the spam he sent, and the people he duped to use his spam service," organizers wrote on Spamhaus.org.

Soloway remained in federal detention pending a hearing Monday.

ken28777 · #2 06-01-2007, 06:27 AM

kodos to the cops

**Radon** [VIP] · #3 06-01-2007, 08:34 PM

Yeaaahh, I was reading this on msnbc yesterday, and it definitely made me smile

ha

**tb2602** · #4 06-01-2007, 09:33 PM

he will go to jail forever, doesnt sound like hes very smart - he didnt cover his tracks at all.

**donnhw** [Promo Team] · #5 06-02-2007, 03:30 PM

He should be made to eat nothing but Spam every day that he's incarcerated!

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#1 05-31-2007, 11:05 AM
tjw61 Celeb Swap God Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Northern N.J., USA Posts: 5,604 Attachments: 2,386 Video Attachments: 0 Thanks: 6 Thanked 57 Times in 49 Posts	Man described as a top spammer arrested :bigthumb By GENE JOHNSON, AP Legal Affairs Writer2 hours, 29 minutes ago A 27-year-old man described as one of the world's most prolific spammers was arrested Wednesday, and federal authorities said co Man described as a top spammer arrested By GENE JOHNSON, AP Legal Affairs Writer2 hours, 29 minutes ago 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 is accused of using networks of compromised "zombie" computers to send out millions upon millions of spam e-mails. "He's one of the top 10 spammers in the world," said Tim Cranton, a Microsoft Corp. lawyer who is senior director of the company's Worldwide Internet Safety Programs. "He's a huge problem for our customers. This is a very good day." 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. A public defender who represented him for Wednesday's hearing declined to comment. Prosecutors say Soloway used computers infected with malicious code to send out millions of junk e-mails since 2003. The computers are called "zombies" because owners typically have no idea their machines have been infected. He continued his activities even after Microsoft won a $7 million civil judgment against him in 2005 and the operator of a small Internet service provider in Oklahoma won a $10 million judgment, prosecutors said. 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 investigation began when the authorities began receiving hundreds of complaints about Soloway, who had been featured on a list of known spammers kept by The Spamhaus Project, an international anti-spam organization. The Santa Barbara County, Calif., Department of Social Services said it was spending $1,000 a week to fight the spam it was receiving, and other businesses and individuals complained of having their reputations damaged when it appeared spam was originating from their computers. "This is not just a nuisance. This is way beyond a nuisance," Warma said. Soloway used the networks of compromised computers to send out unsolicited bulk e-mails urging people to use his Internet marketing company to advertise their products, authorities said. People who clicked on a link in the e-mail were directed to his Web site. There, Soloway advertised his ability to send out as many as 20 million e-mail advertisements over 15 days for $495, the indictment said. The Spamhaus Project rejoiced at his arrest. "Soloway has been a long-term nuisance on the Internet — both in terms of the spam he sent, and the people he duped to use his spam service," organizers wrote on Spamhaus.org. Soloway remained in federal detention pending a hearing Monday.

#2 06-01-2007, 06:27 AM
ken28777 Celeb Swap God Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Appalachian Mountains Posts: 38,056 Attachments: 30,598 Video Attachments: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 64 Times in 45 Posts	kodos to the cops :bigthumb :bigthumb :bigthumb :bigthumb :bigthumb :bigthumb :bigthumb :bigthumb :bigthumb kodos to the cops

#3 06-01-2007, 08:34 PM
Radon [VIP] Celeb Swap God Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 3,516 Attachments: 1,882 Video Attachments: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts	Yeaaahh, I was reading this on msnbc yesterday, and it definitely made me smile :D ha Yeaaahh, I was reading this on msnbc yesterday, and it definitely made me smile ha

#4 06-01-2007, 09:33 PM
tb2602 CelebSwap is my new favorite board Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 159 Attachments: 2 Video Attachments: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 5 Times in 2 Posts	he will go to jail forever, doesnt sound like hes very smart - he didnt cover his tracks at all. he will go to jail forever, doesnt sound like hes very smart - he didnt cover his tracks at all.

#5 06-02-2007, 03:30 PM
donnhw [Promo Team] Celeb Swap God Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 4,130 Attachments: 1,501 Video Attachments: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 33 Times in 24 Posts	He should be made to eat nothing but Spam every day that he's incarcerated! :thumbdown: :tantrum He should be made to eat nothing but Spam every day that he's incarcerated!