2008-08-01
Abstract
Robert Soloway to remain behind bars for 47 months.
Copyright © 2008 Virus Bulletin
A man who sent more than 50,000 spam emails an hour and who has been a known spammer since 1999 has been sentenced to nearly four years in jail after pleading guilty to charges of fraud, spamming and tax evasion.
Robert Soloway was arrested 14 months ago on a total of 35 charges that included mail fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering. Prosecutors had been hoping for a stiffer sentence and had requested he be sent to prison for nine years, taking into account both the scale of his spamming operations and the fact that he had previously been investigated for spamming activities – in 1999 he told Californian authorities he was sorry for his actions and would end his spamming career, but instead just moved his operations to a different state and continued spamming.
Once again Soloway made an attempt at an apology, saying ‘I take full responsibility for everything I’ve done. I am sorry for all the people that got the emails ... I am very embarrassed and ashamed.’ However, an apology is pretty hard to swallow when it comes from someone who has spent much of the last nine years boasting about his spamming techniques, failing to comply with court orders that banned him from spamming and dodging the millions of dollars in fines and compensation he was ordered to pay by the civil courts. VB hopes he enjoys his time in jail.
