By GENE JOHNSON, AP Legal Affairs Writer
> 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.
They should try using the Rico Laws because of his use of zombies.
Seriously!