Spam accused faces two-years in jail

A man accused of sending millions of illegal spam emails is expected to plead guilty on Tuesday and is likely to face a prison sentence of at least two years.

Daniel Lin of Detroit, USA, has been charged, along with three other men, of sending millions of emails in April 2005 from hacked computers belonging to the Ford Motor Company, Amoco, Unisys, the US Army Information Centre, and the Administrative Office of US Courts.

The alleged spam sold bogus diet aids, herbal remedies and illegally imported erectile dysfunction drugs.

According to federal prosecutors, Lin is likely to enter into a plea deal with which will result in a sentence of between two years and 57 months in prison.

Without a plea agreement, Lin would face up to five years on each of the two spam counts and up to 10 years on an unrelated gun charge.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for anti-virus company Sophos, said: "Spammers clog the internet with unwanted messages, making life harder for everyone with an email address and peddling bogus goods to the unwary.

"Weight-loss products are just one of many goods plugged by spammers, but many computer users faced by the growing tide of spam will probably like to see spammers go on a diet of bread-and-water."

http://www.sophos.com/