Spam in the can

Ron wants to get back to the "real news" and I think we should start with some seriously good news. Found via The Moderate Voice is a report that a Virginia judge has sentenced a spammer to nine years in jail.

A man convicted in the nation's first felony case against illegal spamming was sentenced to nine years in prison Friday for bombarding Internet users with millions of junk e-mails.

However, Loudoun County Circuit Judge Thomas Horne delayed the start of Jeremy Jaynes' prison term while the case is appealed, saying the law is new and raises constitutional questions.

A jury had recommended the nine-year term for the Raleigh, N.C., man.

Jaynes, 30, who was considered among the top 10 spammers in the world at the time of his arrest, used the Internet to peddle pornography and sham products and services such as a "FedEx refund processor," prosecutors said. Thousands of people fell for his e-mails, and prosecutors said Jaynes' operation grossed up to $750,000 per month.

I would like to officially retract my earlier statements that nothing good ever happens in Virginia. (Spring break beach parties aside, of course. Oh, and they have some lovely seafood.)