[LINK] Alleged 'spam king' arrested

[Adam Todd]

I can confirm an increase the last three weeks.

Aside from the now 5400 messages in quarantine every 7 days (this 
time last year it was around 2200) I now have between 180 and 300 a 
week actually making it past filters and quarantine.  That's up from 
ZERO last year.

Heaps under the heading "USA Market" and "Your Viagra order"

At 04:18 PM 31/05/2007, Eric Scheid wrote:

> > US authorities say users worldwide have already
> > noticed a drop in junk email volume.
>
>can anyone confirm this from personal experience?
>
>e.
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Alleged 'spam king' arrested
>http://australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,21825568-16123,00.html
>
>Gene Johnson in Seattle | May 31, 2007
>
>A 27-year-old man described as one of the world's most prolific spammers has
>been arrested in the US. US authorities say users worldwide have already
>noticed a drop in junk email volume. US federal authorities said computer
>users across the web could notice a decrease in the amount of junk email.
>
>Robert Alan Soloway is accused of using networks of compromised "zombie"
>computers to send out millions upon millions of spam emails. "He's one of
>the top 10 spammers in the world," said Tim Cranton, a Microsoft 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 Mr
>Soloway charging him with mail fraud, wire fraud, email fraud, aggravated
>identity theft and money laundering.
>
>Mr 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. Mr
>Soloway had been living in a ritzy apartment and drove an expensive
>Mercedes-Benz convertible, prosecutor Kathryn Warma said. Prosecutors are
>seeking to have him forfeit $US773,000 ($939,000) 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 said Mr Soloway used computers infected with malicious
>code to send out millions of junk emails since 2003
>
>He continued his activities even after Microsoft won a $US7 million civil
>judgment against him in 2005 and the operator of a small internet service
>provider in Oklahoma won a $US10 million judgment, prosecutors said. US
>Attorney Jeff Sullivan said that the case was the first in the US in which
>federal prosecutors had used identity theft statutes to prosecute a spammer
>for taking over someone else's internet domain. Mr 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 Mr Soloway, who had been featured on a list of known
>spammers kept by The Spamhaus Project, an international anti-spam
>organisation.
>
>The Santa Barbara County, California Department of Social Services said it
>was spending $US1,000 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," Ms Warma said.
>Mr Soloway used the networks of compromised computers to send out
>unsolicited bulk emails urging people to use his internet marketing company
>to advertise their products, authorities alleged.
>
>People who clicked on a link in the email were directed to his website.
>There, Mr Soloway advertised his ability to send out as many as 20 million
>email advertisements over 15 days for $US495, 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," its organizers wrote on Spamhaus.org.
>
>Mr Soloway remained in federal detention pending a hearing on Monday.
>
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