Russians (not Ralsky) Now Rule the Spam World
Brian McWilliams writes in the Spam Kings Blog:
Looks like the FBI's September raid on spam king Alan Ralsky may have knocked him off his throne.
Ralsky has lost his long-held #1 position atop the Spamhaus list of the world's top spammers. Although downgraded this week to #4, Ralsky probably could have reconstituted his spam operation despite having computers and other items confiscated by the feds. But according to Spamhaus records, the anti-spam group hasn't detected any major new spamming from Ralsky since September.
So far, the FBI raid hasn't resulted in legal charges against Ralsky. Ralsky's lawyer reportedly has said his client was complying with state and federal spam laws.
Meanwhile, Russian fugitive Leo Kuvayev is the new king of spam kings. In fact, four of the top seven spammers worldwide are in Russia, according to Spamhaus.
More
here.
Spammer Alan Ralsky Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges
Ben Schmitt writes in The Detroit Free Press:
International spam king Alan Ralsky pleaded guilty this afternoon in U.S. District Court in Detroit to charges of violating federal anti-spam laws by sending millions of emails in a stock-fraud scheme.
A 41-count indictment last year said Ralsky, 63, of West Bloomfield; his son-in-law, Scott Bradley, 47, also of West Bloomfield, and nine other people used unsolicited e-mail to pump up the price of penny stock in Chinese companies to artificially high prices and then sold it, reaping huge profits for themselves and leaving Internet subscribers who purchased it holding the bag.
Bradley also pleaded guilty today in front of U.S. District Judge Marianne Battani along with three other people who were involved in the conspiracy.
“Alan Ralsky was at one time the world’s most notorious illegal spammer,” U.S. Attorney Terrence Berg said after the plea.
“Today Ralsky, his son-in-law Scott Bradley, and three of their co-conspirators stand convicted for their roles in running an international spamming operation that sent billions of illegal e-mail advertisements to pump up Chinese ‘penny’ stocks and then reap profits by causing trades in these same stocks while others bought at the inflated prices.”
More
here.
FBI Raid Shuts Down Suspected Spammer
An AP newswire article, via Yahoo! News, reports that:
A man described as one of the nation's leading senders of spam says an FBI raid on his home office has halted his e-mail operation.
Warrants unsealed last week show that a September raid on Alan M. Ralsky's home in a Detroit suburb included the seizure of financial records, computers and disks.
"We're out of business at this point in time," Ralsky said. "They didn't shut us down. They took all our equipment, which had the effect of shutting us down."
Terry Berg, the top deputy in the Detroit U.S. attorney's office, declined to comment.
Ralsky, 60, has said that he has 150 million or more e-mail addresses, and he has been a target of anti-spam efforts for years.
Ralsky Indictment Won't Reduce Spam
Stefanie Hoffman writes on CRN.com:
While the "spam king" might have been dethroned, experts say that malicious e-mail lives on and is more prolific than ever.
Many security experts say the overall impact to the amount of spam on the Web will likely be negligible, if anything at all after Thursday's federal grand jury indictment of "spam king" Alan Ralsky. Federal charges were brought against the Michigan man and nine others for running an international spamming and stock fraud scheme following a three-year investigation.
More
here.
Woman is First to Plead Guilty in Notorious Spam Case
Robert McMillan writes on ComputerWorld:
A woman accused of helping spam kingpin Alan Ralsky send out tens of millions of unwanted e-mail messages each day has pleaded guilty to spam charges.
Judy Devenow pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges Tuesday in federal court in Michigan. She was arrested in January and charged with participating in a complex pump-and-dump stock scam that artificially inflated the prices of Chinese penny stocks.
With her guilty plea, Devenow has agreed to cooperate with the U.S. Department of Justice as it pursues its case against 10 other people, including Ralsky, who were allegedly involved in the scam. "She felt it was in her best interest to dispose of this case in this way and not go through a trial," said her attorney, Richard Zuckerman, of Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn.
Devenow is facing 33 to 41 years in prison on the charges, but the sentence could be reduced if the government feels she has fully cooperated, he said.
More
here.
11 Indicted In International Illegal Spamming And Stock Fraud Scheme
Via USDoJ.gov.
A federal grand jury indictment was unsealed today in Detroit charging 11 persons, including Alan M. Ralsky, his son-in-law Scott K. Bradley, and Judy M. Devenow, of Michigan, and eight others, including a dual national of Canada and Hong Kong and individuals from Russia, California, and Arizona, in a wide-ranging international fraud scheme involving the illegal use of bulk commercial e-mailing, or "spamming."
Charged in the 41-count indictment are:
- Alan M. Ralsky, 52, of West Bloomfield, Michigan
- Scott K. Bradley, 46, of West Bloomfield, Michigan
- Judy M. Devenow, 55, of Lansing, Michigan
- John S. Bown, 47, of Poway, California
- William C. Neil, 45, of Fresno, California
- Anki K. Neil, 36, of Fresno, California
- James E. Bragg, 39, of Queen Creek, Arizona
- James E. Fite, 34, of Whittier, California
- Peter Severa, age unknown, of Russia
- How Wai John Hui, 49, of Vancouver, Canada and Hong Kong
- Francis A. Tribble, of Los Angeles, California
Appearing in court for arraignment today were defendants Scott Bradley and Judy Devenow, who were arrested today. Defendant How Wai John Hui was arrested in the Eastern District of New York on Jan. 2, 2008. The remaining defendants are being sought.
Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division said, "The flood of illegal spam continues to wreak havoc on the online marketplace and has become a global criminal enterprise. It clogs consumers' email boxes with scams and unwanted messages and imposes significant costs on our society. This indictment reflects the commitment of the Department of Justice to prosecuting these spamming organizations wherever they may operate. I would like to thank the many prosecutors and agents for their extraordinary efforts leading up to the indictment."
More
here.
