March 3, 2005 10:08 AM PST

Spam conviction overturned

One of the first felony spam convictions in the United States has been overturned. Judge Thomas D. Horne ruled Tuesday that there was no "rational basis" for Jessica DeGroot's conviction. He added that the antispam law used to convict DeGroot and her brother, Jeremy Jaynes, had perplexed jurors. He said the jurors may have got "lost" in the law, according to reports. Jessica DeGroot was jailed along with her brother, Jeremy Jaynes, earlier this year after being convicted of spamming offenses.

DeGroot was sentenced to pay $7,500 after the pair were found guilty of sending thousands e-mails to AOL addresses in 2003. The jury recommended that her brother spend nine years in prison for masterminding the spam operation.

Jo Best of Silicon.com reported from London.

2 comments

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Lost in the Law?
I think the Judge got lost somewhere along the way! Granted that 9 years is a bit much for what the brother did, it did set an example for others not to follow his foot steps! I only wish they would go after the realy big fish in this game. The ones who send out millions of spam messages a day!
Sincerely,
skooterfd
Posted by skooterfd (8 comments )
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I agree that there is much left out. If the searches were only intoduced in the penalty phase of the trial, they could be well justified. If however they were introduced during the guilt phase as it seams they were, there could be some issue. I would like <a href="http://www.ambienbuy.net">this medical blog</a> more on the medical condition (blood loss, trauma inflicted, angle of bullet entry, caliber of the bullet) and information on powder residue (if any) around the wounds. A single gun does nothing for or againt the case. If he owned a gun of the correct caliber and it was missing, that would hurt his case.
Posted by Jimm_Kernel (24 comments )
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