LAWFUEL – Law News Network – In the nation’s first jury conviction under the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, an Azusa man has been convicted of sending thousands of e-mails to America Online users that appeared to be from AOL’s billing department and prompted the customers to send personal and credit card information, which he used to make unauthorized purchases.
In verdicts reached late Friday, Jeffrey Brett Goodin, 45, was found guilty of operating a sophisticated “phishing” scheme. The jury found that Goodin operated an Internet-based scheme designed to obtain personal and credit card information by tricking people into believing that they were providing information to a legitimate business.
The evidence presented during a week-long trial showed that Goodin used several compromised Earthlink accounts to send e-mails to AOL users. Those e-mails appeared to be from AOL’s billing department and urged the users to “update” their AOL billing information or lose service. The e-mails referred the AOL customers to one of several webpages where the victims could input their personal and credit information. Goodin controlled those webpages, where he collected the information that allowed him and others to make unauthorized charges on the AOL users’ credit or debit cards.
In addition to the CAN-SPAM Act conviction, Goodin was convicted of 10 other counts, including wire fraud, aiding and abetting the unauthorized use of an access device (credit card), possession of more than 15 unauthorized access devices, misuse of the AOL trademark, attempted witness harassment and failure to appear in court.
Goodin is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Court Judge Christina A. Snyder on June 11. At sentencing, Goodin faces a statutory maximum sentence of 101 years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the Ontario Police Department and the Electronic Crimes Task Force, which is comprised of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service.
CONTACT: Assistant United States Attorney Rozella Oliver
Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section
(213) 894-2475
Assistant United States Attorney Wesley L. Hsu
Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section
(213) 894-3045
