Online Security, a global provider of computer forensics and information technology risk mitigation since 1997   Original Source:    http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=P2NMWNXPEJ3WEQSNDBGCKHY?articleID=18700511 Big-Time Spammer Found Guilty Of ID Theft Howard Carmack, known as the "Buffalo Spammer," was found guilty on 14 counts, including charges of stealing the identity of two Buffalo-area residents. A noted spammer has been convicted on charges of identity theft, New York's State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer says. An Erie County jury has returned a verdict against Howard Carmack, known as the "Buffalo Spammer," Spitzer said Thursday. Carmack was found guilty on 14 counts, including charges of stealing the identity of two Buffalo-area residents to open Internet accounts with EarthLink, which he then used to send more than 800 million spam messages. Carmack was also found guilty of forging business records of EarthLink when he falsified the headers of spam sent from the accounts. Sentencing is scheduled for May 27; Carmack will remain in jail until that time, Spitzer said. The case is the first prosecuted by Spitzer's office under New York's identity theft law, which classifies the crime as a misdemeanor. The investigation was a joint effort by Spitzer's office, the New York State Police, and the FBI. "The guilty verdict shows that those engaged in identity theft and cyber-crime will be discovered, prosecuted, and convicted of their crimes," Spitzer said in a statement. Last year, EarthLink won a $16.4 million civil judgment against Carmack in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. In that case, EarthLink accused Carmack of using stolen credit-card number to set up scores of accounts on its service, then spawning spam from the accounts to advertise a slew of schemes and products. EarthLink applauded the New York jury's decision. "Carmack's criminal conviction demonstrates that spammers who continue to send illegal emails will not escape the law," Karen Cashion, EarthLink's assistant general counsel, said in a statement.