Spam King to Sing For Feds?

Vainglorious Coward writes "Infoworld is repeating the rumours that Alan 'spam king' Ralsky has been arrested by the Feds. With the file sealed for 72 hours, the article claims the underworld is abuzz with concern that, faced with enough evidence to put him in jail, Ralsky will squeal on his associates. We should know in the next couple of days whether any of the roaches scurrying for cover are going to get stomped."

Rumor control...

[Eggplant62]

Take this whole thing with a grain of salt. There has been no reputable source that has provided this information; it's simply a rumor. Steve Linford has posted on news.admin.net-abuse.email [tinyurl.com] that he knows nothing about Ralsky being taken into custody, and other reliable sources in the antispam forces known to me have no further information to corroborate this story.

Still, it's good news if it turns out to be true. I guess if we don't hear anything by Tuesday or Wednesday, given enough time for the rumored 72 hour seal on Ralsky's indictment to expire, we'll know whether this is bullshit or not.

Ralsky has been in jail before

[Bellhead]

If this rumor is true, it'll mean major sweeps of the spam underworld and many of its hangers-on: Ralsky has been behind bars before, and I doubt he's willing to go back.

According to the Spam Daily News - (http://www.spamdailynews.com/publish/FBI_raid_shu ts_down_world_most_prolific_spammer.asp)

However, Ralsky acknowledges that his success with spam arose out of a less-than-impressive business background. In 1992, while in the insurance business, he served a 50-day jail term for a charge arising out of the sale of unregistered securities. And in 1994, he was convicted of falsifying documents that defrauded financial institutions in Michigan and Ohio and ordered to pay $74,000 in restitution.

Of course, this could bode well or ill for prosecutors: Ralsky has been in jail, perhaps for just long enough to be scared of it. The question is: did he get hard enough to stare them down?

My bet is that he'd do the deal: he's a con artist, after all, but he's shared a bunk with real hardened felons, and that's likely to be the kiss-of-death for his co-conspirators when push comes to shove.

Bellhead

Re:Prison too good for him!

[stinerman]

Any true Muslim wouldn't mind at all since Jews (and Christians) are People of the Book [wikipedia.org]

Re:Prison too good for him!

[cptgrudge]

In the very link [wikipedia.org] you provide, this is listed:

Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold forbidden that which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. 9:29

O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends/protecters; they are friends/protecters of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend/protecter, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people. 5:51

What exactly is your point by linking to it? I thank you for the link, though, it was very interesting.

Re:Prison too good for him!

[Elemenope]

His point, I imagine, is that under Sharia the Jews, for example, have legal protections that heathens do not, including importantly having the protection of the law. There is in fact a very small community of Jews that lives in Iran, and in their parliament (analogue) there are a small number of seats set aside for them. You are right when you say (and quote) that just because they have legal protection and status, they do not necessarily have respect; I would only say that that is an entirely different issue, as important as it may be.

Re:Prison too good for him!

[killjoe]

Oddly enough during the inquisition the jews fled into the muslim controlled areas of spain, portugal and north africa where they were welcomed and protected from the christians.

How times change huh? I remember when Russia and china were enemies, my parents remember when russia and china were an allies and germany, italy and japan were enemies.

Who knows maybe one day iran, syria and palestine will be allies and israel will be an enemy. It could happen in a generation.