An ex-American Online employee has reportedly pleaded guilty to stealing 92 million screen names and e-mail addresses and selling them to spammers, according to published reports.
The software engineer, Jason Smathers, 24, entered the guilty plea on conspiracy charges in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. The Associated Press reported he was likely to face 18 months to two years in prison at a May 20 sentencing. He also faces restitution of $200,000 to $400,000, the estimated amount AOL spent as a result of the reported seven billion unsolicited e-mails.
Smathers was fired by AOL last June, after authorities said he used another employee’s access code to steal the AOL customer list. He allegedly sold the list to Sean Dunaway, of Las Vegas, who used it to send unwanted gambling advertisements to subscribers of AOL. Charges are pending against Dunaway, reported the AP.
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