Nickatilynx
08-25-2005, 02:47 PM
Justice Dept. Targets Porn Spammers
The U.S. Justice Department is expected to announce indictments Thursday against four U.S. citizens accused of sending pornographic spam e-mails in violation of federal anti-spam laws, a move the government says amounts to the "first-ever charges and pleas related to sending of obscene spam."
A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed that the indictments were imminent but that they were not expected to be returned until Thursday.
The four people expected to be named in the indictments are Jennifer Clason, 32, formerly of Tempe, Ariz.; Jeffrey Killbride, 39, of Venice, Calif.; Kirk Rogers, 42 of Manhattan Beach, Calif.; and James Schaffer, 39, of Paradise Valley, Ariz. All four defendants are expected to be charged with two counts each of fraud and of violating the CAN-SPAM Act of 2004 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5943-2003Dec16.html), which requires anyone sending sexually oriented material to include the warning "SEXUALLY-EXPLICIT" in the subject line of the message. The indictments also are expected to charge the defendants with money laundering.
According to the Justice Dept., America Online received more than 600,000 complaints in six months about the spam allegedly sent by the four. The messages advertised subscription-based adult Web sites.
The U.S. Justice Department is expected to announce indictments Thursday against four U.S. citizens accused of sending pornographic spam e-mails in violation of federal anti-spam laws, a move the government says amounts to the "first-ever charges and pleas related to sending of obscene spam."
A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed that the indictments were imminent but that they were not expected to be returned until Thursday.
The four people expected to be named in the indictments are Jennifer Clason, 32, formerly of Tempe, Ariz.; Jeffrey Killbride, 39, of Venice, Calif.; Kirk Rogers, 42 of Manhattan Beach, Calif.; and James Schaffer, 39, of Paradise Valley, Ariz. All four defendants are expected to be charged with two counts each of fraud and of violating the CAN-SPAM Act of 2004 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5943-2003Dec16.html), which requires anyone sending sexually oriented material to include the warning "SEXUALLY-EXPLICIT" in the subject line of the message. The indictments also are expected to charge the defendants with money laundering.
According to the Justice Dept., America Online received more than 600,000 complaints in six months about the spam allegedly sent by the four. The messages advertised subscription-based adult Web sites.