Spammer faces 471 years jail, US$117.25m fines - News - Security

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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Spammer faces 471 years jail, US$117.25m fines

By Staff writer, ZDNet Australia
October 10, 2003
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Spammer-faces-471-years-jail-US-117-25m-fines/0,130061744,120279514,00.htm

Many sports fans whose team fails to achieve are in the habit of airing critical opinions of management and media. But one baseball fan is now looking at a possible 471 years in prison, and US$117.25 in fines for expressing his discontent online.

Allan Eric Carlson, 39, did not murder anyone to invite such punishment. Instead, the Philadelphia Phillies follower launched spam attacks. One e-mail's subject line read "Corrupt Philly Media Keeps Phils in Cellar."

Carlson faked the return addresses on his spam, using those of sports reporters at the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.

Many of his messages bounced to the reporters' mailboxes, crippling the servers where they were stored, Reuters reported.

FBI agents arrested Carlson at his home in a Los Angeles suburb on Tuesday. He is being charged with hacking, spoofing return addresses, launching spam attacks, and identity theft.