Texas Attorney General files suit against spam operators - update 1

01/17/05 - newratings.com

NEW YORK, January 17 (newratings.com) – The Attorney General of Texas has filed a suit against one of the biggest spam operating networks in the world. The complaint filed by Attorney General Greg Abbott sought action against Ryan Samuel Pitylak, a University of Texas student, and Mark Stephen Trotter of California operating three spam-spending companies, PayPerAction, Leadplex and Leadplex Inc. Watchdog group SpamHaus.org has ranked the pair as running one of the top five spam operations in the world.

Abbott said in a statement on Thursday that spam was one of the most aggravating and pervasive problems facing consumers. "Unwanted, unsolicited e-mail clogs computers of Texas consumers and Texas businesses, wasting precious time and money. Texans are fed up, and today's action aims to give them relief by shutting down one of the world's worst spam operations," Abbott said. The complaint has been filed under the US federal CAN-SPAM act of 2003, which carries penalties of $250 per violation. The companies are also accused of violating the Texas Electronic Mail and Solicitation Act, which allows for heavy penalties. The proportion of unsolicited e-mail in the US has increased from 7% in 2001 to nearly 50% in 2003, Abbott added.