- Alan Ralsky
Alan Ralsky (born c. 1945) is an American convicted fraudster, most well-known for his activities as a spammer.
pamming
According to experts in the field, Ralsky is one of the most prolific sources of junk e-mail worldwide. Unlike most spammers, he has provided interviews to various newspapers, although he claimed to be a commercial e-mailer rather than a spammer. He stated that his was a legitimate business which complied with all laws. [http://www.cmsconnect.com/News/CMSInPrint/DN-020804-pg2.htm]
Ralsky apparently began his spamming career when his licenses to sell insurance were revoked in Michigan and Illinois in 1996. [http://www.cmsconnect.com/News/CMSInPrint/DN-020804-pg2.htm]
He gained much of his notoriety following a December 2002 interview with
The Detroit News . The article was soon posted toSlashdot and the address of his newly built home was posted to Slashdot not long after that. Hundreds of Slashdot readers then searched theInternet for advertising mailing lists and free catalogs and signed him up for them. As a result, he was flooded with junk mail. In aDetroit Free Press article on December 6, 2002, he is quoted as saying "They've signed me up for every advertising campaign and mailing list there is … These people are out of their minds. They're harassing me".Legal
* In 1992 he served a fifty-day sentence for selling unregistered securities. [http://www.freep.com/money/tech/mwend22_20021122.htm]
* On August 7, 1995, he pled guilty to felonybank fraud inOhio . [http://www.spamhaus.org/rokso/evidence.lasso?rokso_id=ROK5535] . He served three yearsprobation for afelony charge of falsifying banking records. [http://www.detnews.com/2005/technology/0510/16/B01-349738.htm] .
* On March 14, 1999, he pled guilty tomisprision of felony inMichigan . [http://www.spamhaus.org/rokso/evidence.lasso?rokso_id=ROK1413]
* In early October 2005, a warrant was unsealed, showing theFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided Alan Ralsky's home in September. In the raid, the FBI took computers, financial records, and even The Detroit News article cited earlier. They then raided his son-in-law's home. Ralsky's business was not legally shut down, but he was unable to operate following the raid. [http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2005-10-16-fbi-spammer_x.htm]
* On January 3, 2008, Ralsky and ten others were indicted based on results of a three-year investigation [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Alan Ralsky, Ten Others, Indicted In International Illegal Spamming And Stock Fraud Scheme | date=2008-01-03 | publisher=U.S. Department of Justice | url =http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2008/January/08_crm_003.html | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2008-01-04 | language = ] . The indictment included stock fraud charges stemming from a "pump and dump" scheme.
* On January 9, 2008, Ralsky was arraigned on the charges that he was indicted for on January 3, 2008. He was silent during the arraignment, so a plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf. [cite news |first=David |last= Ashenfelter |title=Man arraigned on charges he sent e-mail to inflate stocks |url=http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880109104 |work=Detroit Free Press |publisher=Gannett Company |location=Detroit, Michigan |date=2008-01-09 |accessdate=2008-01-16]ee also
*
List of spammers References
External links
* [http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/11/22/1658256 Another Millionaire Spammer Story]
* [http://www.detnews.com/2005/technology/0510/16/B01-349738.htm FBI raid on Alan Ralsky's home in September 2005]
* [http://www.spamhaus.org/rokso/listing.lasso?-op=cn&spammer=Alan%20Ralsky Spamhaus ROKSO record for Alan Ralsky]
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