BellSouth spam investigation leads to guilty plea

Internet Business News, March 2, 2005

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US telecomms company BellSouth Corp (NYSE: BLS) has said that its investigation into spamming activities over its BellSouth Internet Services accounts during 2002 has led to one man pleading guilty to sending deceptive spam e-mails.

A spokesperson for BellSouth said that the ruling was a triumph for its customers, and that the company will continue to assist and cooperate with law enforcement investigations that will lead to the prosecution of Internet offenders. The company also said that it was committed to protecting its customers and providing them with the best service possible.

Charles Frye, from Florida, pleaded guilty to an offence against intellectual property-computer fraud, after he hacked passcodes and BellSouth Internet customer accounts to send spam e-mails. Frye was sentenced to one year in jail, and a three-year suspended sentence, with supervised probation for six years.

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