INTERNATIONAL: King of Junk Mail Faces Charges ; USA

Jun 01, 01:30 AM

Current Headlines: US authorities said yesterday computer users everywhere could notice a decrease in junk email after the arrest of a man described as one of the world's most prolific spammers.

Robert Soloway, 27, is accused of using networks of compromised "zombie" computers to send out millions of spam emails.

"He's one of the top 10 spammers in the world," said Tim Cranton, a Microsoft lawyer.

"He's a huge problem for our customers. This is a very good day."

A federal grand jury returned a 35-count indictment against Soloway last week, charging him with mail fraud, wire fraud, email fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering.

Soloway pleaded not guilty to all charges early yesterday after a judge determined that - even with four bank accounts seized by the US government - he was sufficiently well off to pay for his own lawyer.

Prosecutors are seeking to have him forfeit EUR773,000 (pounds 386,500) they say he made from his business, Newport Internet Marketing.

(c) 2007 Birmingham Post; Birmingham (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.