Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore has announced the nation's first felony charges and arrest for sending spam. Using Virginia's new Anti-Spam law, a grand jury indicted Jeremy Jaynes (a.k.a., "Jeremy James" and "Gaven Stubberfield"), regarded as the eighth-worst spam distributor in the world.

Using the "Report Spam" button on the mailbox, AOL members provided thousands of complaints that were used by the Commonwealth of Virginia to help investigate and indict the defendant, according to the Attorney General's office.

The new law is considered the toughest in the nation and was used as the model for the criminal portion of the federal legislation that was recently passed by Congress.

Law enforcement authorities arrested Jaynes in Raleigh, North Carolina, and charged him with four felony counts of using fraudulent means to transmit unsolicited bulk e-mail, which may be prosecuted in Virginia if any part of the illegal transactions take place in any locality in the Commonwealth. (AOL's offices are located in Dulles, Virginia.)

"Gaven Stubberfield" is listed as the eighth-most prolific spammer by the Register of Known Spam Operations. If convicted, Jaynes could face up to 20 years in prison and $10,000 in fines -- the four felony charges each carry punishment of one to five years in prison, a fine of up to $2,500, or both.

In 2002 and early 2003, AOL worked with industry leaders, state lawmakers, and Attorney General Kilgore's office to craft a new anti-spam state law that would levy strong criminal penalties on large-scale spammers who used tactics of fraud, falsification and deceit to send the most egregious and offensive junk e-mails to AOL members. After adoption of the law by the Virginia General Assembly, AOL hosted a ceremony at its corporate headquarters on April 29, where Governor Mark Warner signed the bill.

The criminal indictment comes as AOL continues to vigorously pursue civil litigation filed earlier this year against over a dozen individuals alleged to have spammed AOL members with almost one billion junk e-mails.

I would execute spammers in their front yard, in front of their families, on Christmas eve. My gift to the world.

50 yard line during halftime? drawn and quartered spammer.

Spammers are the new christians. Everyone hates them but other spammers.

labret....don't holdback....tell us how you really feel! (sheesh!)

Doesn't the new federal law that was signed in the other day take away the states rights to do this?

Wonder what the guys real name is.

As soon as they put away a few hundred of the main spammers, you'll see a major reduction in bogus e-mails.

:okthumb:

That's beautiful.

I keep aol just for that report spam button, because its fun to report other aol users sending spam. They are like the dumbest spammers of all because they will most likely be tracked down for creating fraud accounts, unless they really are just dumb aol users trying to spam. Then they are just toast.

I read this article elsewhere first, the original. It said at the end of it that although the fed law would take precedence, that the Virigina AG didn't care (?) and would still make investigations and prosecute under VA law anyhow. (?!?)

Love it when law enforcement idiots get a god complex and think they are above the very law they serve. Means eventually the Supreme Court will have to bitch slap him out of a job.




Last edited by Dravyk at Dec 12 2003, 12:21 AM

Sort of. The federal law has the infraction they are getting prosecuted for included in it so if they just waited a few weeks they wouldn't have had to be extradited. They could have been prosecuted for the misleading subjects and headers in all 50.2 states.

Where'd you get this link?

Was he a porn spammer?

I doubt this guy is going to do a day in jail...but he may endup paying the fine and getting probation....

I get six pounds of snail mail spam a day - What is being done about that - tell these people doing all the complaining about spam to learn to use the fucking delete button. 90% of the spam complaints are from people that signed up for an opt in list and are too stupid to remember.

AOL sues spammers, yet it is a fact that they sell their email lists.

People get too freaking worked up over spam, I get a ton every day, but I know how to work a delete button

(edited to correct my speeling - probably still didn't get it all)



Last edited by OldJeff at Dec 12 2003, 09:16 AM

jim, if you see this give me a quick call please :)

There must be a mistake.. I can't believe anyone in North Carolina would do such a thing.

Spamming is not limited to Doughnut eating Canadians

I hate SPAM and SPAMMERS...unless they send traffic to my programs, take me to dinner, send me business, buy me presents or send checks every once in a damn while. Outside of the previously mentioned criteria, they are the scourge of the Internet and I am fed up! When will it end?

:rolleyes: :agrin:

Its kind of funny when you think these guys if the judge goes for the max sentenced and they are successfully convicted could spend 20 years in jail for sending e-mails compared to the average rapist, murderer, etc. spending less than that time.

:lol:

Yeah, or how about the guys who have contributed to over 10 tons of litter via bulk postal mail... or even worse, those guys that like to call and always interrupt me when I'm eating or on the shitter offering bullcrap (because that seems like the only times they call me).


Now who really deserves to go to jail? As a matter of fact if a spammer ever makes it to court here in NY I will start a campaign against wasting my taxpayer dollars on that kind of case. Don't fuck with me.

:angry: