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Virginia's Anti-Spam Law Nabs Texas Woman
by Chloe Albanesius
A Texas woman was indicted Tuesday under Virginia's anti-spam law, the commonwealth's Attorney General Jerry Kilgore announced. The government teamed with America Online to track Fort Worth resident Jennifer Murray, who is accused of sending thousands of unsolicited, commercial e-mails between October 2003 and Feb. 15, 2004.
Murray allegedly sent more than 10,000 messages in a 24-hour period on five, separate occasions - a felony under Virginia's statute. Even though Murray is a Texas resident, her messages bounced through servers located in Virginia. She will be extradited and tried in Loudoun County, Kilgore said.
Murray faces up to five years in prison on each of the felony charges and thousands of dollars in fines for sending e-mails promoting human growth hormones. An accomplice facing similar charges has not yet been apprehended.
In other news, Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich on Wednesday signed an anti-spam measure that would prohibit individuals, organizations and companies from sending bulk e-mail that falsifies or disguises the senders' identities, addresses or subject matters. Critics of SB 604 have said the bill could be difficult to enforce since it would be difficult to prove that spam messages moved through Maryland servers when the state is not home to any major Internet service providers.
Meanwhile, North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem last week issued a warning to residents about a "phishing" scam involving US Bank. A number of North Dakotans had received e-mails purportedly from US Bank asking them to verify personal information. The e-mails were faked, however, and information stolen. "If you respond to these e-mails, you are simply giving your financial information to a thief," Stenehjem said in a release. Meanwhile, Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline warned residents to be wary of bogus telemarketers calling elderly residents for donations to the state's AMBER Alert plan. The program, intended to mobilize people when a child is missing, does not solicit donations.
Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers announced last week that the state police and the Justice Department would conduct undercover operations to see if Internet tobacco sellers have safeguards in place that ensure that cigarettes are not sold to Oregon minors. Companies with orders that get through to minors will be subject to civil and criminal penalties and fines of up to $1,000, or five times the values of the cigarettes purchased.
Finally, an undercover operation in Michigan led to the arrest of a priest and a prior sex offender, Attorney General Mike Cox announced Tuesday. State law enforcement agents posed as children on the Internet in an attempt to lure child predators. They subsequently nabbed Father Shamaun Beas of St. Patrick's Church in Portland when he attempted to set up a sexual encounter with who he thought was a 14-year-old child. The sting also led to the arrest of Ned Hilburn Fauth, a registered sex offender in Michigan and Arizona.
Massachusetts Lawmakers Request Security Funds
Nine Massachusetts Democrats on Tuesday penned a letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge requesting that he approve the public transportation security grants applied for by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).
"Enough chlorine to kill 100,000 people in half an hour is often contained in a single rail tanker car going right through crowded urban areas, like Boston," Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said in a release. The MBTA services 175 cities and towns in the state and about 1 million passengers per day.
In their letter, the lawmakers request, among other things: $400,000 to expand the MBTA explosive detection unit capabilities; $750,000 to purchase riot control, surveillance, computer mapping and intelligence software and communications equipment; and $400,000 for the purchase, installation and training associated with chemical agent detection technology.
Additional security will be more pressing this summer during the Democratic National Convention, Markey said. "It will be on the top of al Qaeda's terrorist target list."
Other lawmakers who signed the letter include: Reps. Barney Frank; James McGovern; John Tierney; Michael Capuano; Stephen Lynch; William Delahunt; and Sens. Edward Kennedy and John Kerry.
In other news, The Boston Globe reports that MBTA transit police will conduct random identification checks at various subway train stations. Officials did not provide details on when and where the ID stops would occur. A regional Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman refused to confirm that the move was part of a national rail security program.
Maryland Governor Vetoes Anti-Outsourcing Measure
Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich on Tuesday vetoed a bill, HB 183, which would allow procurement officers to consider whether a contractor or subcontractor would be conducting services outside the United States. "The services that the citizens of Maryland come to expect, such as 24-hour, on-call information technology assistance, are made possible because of contracts outsourced to foreign countries," Ehrlich said in his veto message. Approving HB 183 would prevent state agencies from procuring services that would enable round-the-clock service, he said.
The bill's ambiguity could result in misuse in future procurements, Ehrlich said. It also would have "unintended consequences" on companies that currently outsource their work to foreign countries.
The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) heralded Ehrlich's decision. The bill "would have added administrative and cost burdens to state procurements, sent the wrong message to our overseas trading partners, and cost Maryland jobs," ITAA President Harris Miller said in a Wednesday release.
In other news, the California Senate on Monday approved a bill, SB 1453, which would require a company to notify employees and local employment agencies 60 days prior to a lay off if those jobs are being relocated to a foreign country. It must now be approved by the General Assembly. Also in California, the Senate passed a measure, S.B. 1333, that would authorize the Health Services Department to reimburse pharmacies that provide Canadian drugs to participants in the Medi-Cal or the AIDS drug-assistance program. Passed by a 24-9 margin, it also now heads to the General Assembly.
Florida Residents Arrested For Identity Theft Ring
Eight Tampa, Fla., residents were charged with masterminding a statewide identity theft ring, Attorney General Charlie Crist announced. Law enforcement officials discovered that the individuals were printing up blank checks using stolen bank account numbers. They then made purchases and subsequently received cash refunds from various department stores in the state. Investigators have thus far uncovered $160,000 in loss, but expect more as the probe continues.
Meanwhile, Virginia Gov. Mark Warner on Tuesday announced the start of the Virginia Public Safety Institute, an organization geared toward protecting the state's senior citizens. Crime prevention specialists from the Virginia State Police will offer statewide training courses in such topics as: identity theft prevention; guarding against financial scams; and Internet security. The Institute is part of Warner's "Protect and Respect" program for senior citizen health.
Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox on Tuesday continued his campaign against identity theft among seniors with a visit to the Lutheran Home in Livonia. Since November 2003, Cox's office has been collecting credit information from certain senior citizens via interviews and checking that information against a free credit report to find discrepancies. If the office's comparisons reveal anything not reported by individuals, the office will investigate.
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