A 25-year-old former America Online employee and cyberspace “outlaw” who sold all 92 million screen names and e-mail addresses to spammers was sentenced Wednesday to a year and three months in prison.
“I know I’ve done something very wrong,” a soft-spoken and teary-eyed Jason Smathers told U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein as he apologized for a theft that resulted in spammers sending out up to 7 billion unsolicited e-mails.
Hellerstein credited Smathers for his contrition and efforts to help the government.
Earlier this year, he had pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in a plea deal. Prosecutors said Smathers had engaged in the interstate transportation of stolen property and had violated a new federal law intended to diminish unsolicited e-mail messages.
