'Top 10 Spammer' Sent More Than a Million Spam Emails: Feds

CHICAGO, IL -- An Arizona man currently ranked at No. 8 on a list of "World's Worst Top 10 Spammers" was indicted Tuesday on wire fraud charges.

Michael Persaud, 36, of Scottsdale, Arizona, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan E. Cox Tuesday in Chicago, accused of sending more than a million spam emails and damaging several computer networks.

Persaud -- who was sued by AOL in 1998 for allegedly committing fraud to send "get rich quick" spam emails to customers -- is now accused of using fake names to register domains and creating fraudulent "From Address" to conceal his identity, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago.

The complaint against the alleged cyber-spammer also claims he sold millions of email addresses for the purpose of transmitting spam. He is charged with 10 counts of wire fraud.

The indictment claims Persaud gained access to victim networks by falsely representing that he would not use their systems to send spam, and that he would comply with their policies prohibiting spamming, the indictment states. Instead, he allegedly used a California company called Impact Media LLC and other aliases to send spam on behalf of companies selling various goods and services. According to the indictment, Persaud earned commission for each sale resulting from the spam emails.

Using numerous alias including "Michael Prescott," "Michael Pearson" and "Jeff Martinez," Persaud is accused of providing false IDs and payment to continue accessing networks, the complaint alleges.

During a Feb. 7 court appearance in Chicago, Persaud pleaded not guilty and was ordered released on his own recognizance. With the exception of court appearances in Chicago, he is prohibited from traveling outside of Arizona while on bond, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

If convicted, he would face 20 years in prison for each of the 10 counts of wire fraud.

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