So being a SPAMmer is no big deal, eh?

[Buried Alien]

Not according to this court (http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pri&dt=050408&cat=news&st=newsd89bc1100&src=ap).

Oh, if only this became standard practice...


Buried Alien (The Most Evil Post Alive!)

[Valmore]

Nine years seems a tad harsh for the crime of spam emailing.

I mean, yeah, spam sucks. But nine years?

Hopefully they don't win on appeal. I don't find spam e-mailing an "infringement upon free speech."

[Winslow]

Wow. Nine years seems excessive.

But did you see this:

Prosecutors say he grossed up to $750,000 per month.

Man. Makes one tempted to take on spamming with that kind of income . . .

[JeffreyWKramer]

Wow. Nine years seems excessive.

But did you see this:

Prosecutors say he grossed up to $750,000 per month.

Man. Makes one tempted to take on spamming with that kind of income . . .
Which is why nine years isn't excessive. I hope the sentence is maintained on appeal. Commercial speech is covered by different rules than other speech, and regulation of commercial speech is aok.

[Winslow]

Good point.

But we're talking about something that is an inconvenience, not something that causes tangible harm (unless spam causes some sort of harm I'm not aware of . . )

Also, the law was only in effect a number of weeks, and the guy was form out of state.

He's obviously being used to send a warning to other spammers, but I don't think that's appropriate motivation for the sentencing.

But to be clear, I shed no tears for the guy . . .

[JeffreyWKramer]

Good point.

But we're talking about something that is an inconvenience, not something that causes tangible harm (unless spam causes some sort of harm I'm not aware of . . )
It takes up a lot of bandwith and email storage space, which does translate to wasting someone else's resources.

This is part of why Microsoft, Yahoo and various internet providers are behind the legislation.

[StoneGold]

Keep in mind, it's probably more for fraud than it is for just spam.

[west3man]

If real life were comic books, JWK would be The Punisher.

[Daemon]

I must say, whats the law on sending out regular junk mail then?

[JeffreyWKramer]

If real life were comic books, JWK would be The Punisher.


Well, I do wear black a lot, and I'm fond of leather.

Not much for guns, though.

[MacQuarrie]

Wow. Nine years seems excessive.

But did you see this:

Prosecutors say he grossed up to $750,000 per month.

Man. Makes one tempted to take on spamming with that kind of income . . .
What's the net? I'd be surprised if he cleared more than $100,000 a year.

[Michael P]

Wow. Nine years seems excessive.

But did you see this:

Prosecutors say he grossed up to $750,000 per month.

Man. Makes one tempted to take on spamming with that kind of income . . .
Once again, I reiterate my conviction that I could have lots of money if I didn't have morals.

[Winslow]

What's the net? I'd be surprised if he cleared more than $100,000 a year.

Really? Why so much overhead?

I readily confess to being techno-internet ignorant.

The temptation just flitted away with that kind of overhead. That's a bad business arrangement.

[StoneGold]

What's the net? I'd be surprised if he cleared more than $100,000 a year.
Depends on exactly what the scams were. I'd have to assume that the bulk of the expenses were in operating internet connections. Still, I can't believe that, considering it was probably a one man operation, he'd be clearing that small a percentage.

[Ronald Bryan]

Wow, while nine years is a lot, but so is $750,000.


I don't know which one I would rather make a spammer do, pay money or go to jail.

[Paradox]

The article mentions no scam. It just says he was selling "junk products and pornography". Probably cheap crappy novelty items like you'd find in a Spencer's Gifts or something.

It also seemed that the deciding factor was "disguised his identity" so it's apparantly O.K. to do this if you own up to who you are. Which seems like a moronic stipulation to me.

[Typo Lad]

What's amazing is this guy got longer than some people who perform assault!

[MacQuarrie]

Depends on exactly what the scams were. I'd have to assume that the bulk of the expenses were in operating internet connections. Still, I can't believe that, considering it was probably a one man operation, he'd be clearing that small a percentage.
I don't think he was actually selling anything himself. He was sending spam out for other people. At the volume of traffic he was sending, he must have been paying a bundle for internet, plus purchasing mailing lists, computers, etc.

The last spammer convicted was clearing $50,000 a year.