9 Year Spam Sentence Too Harsh? → Let's not forget...

The guy is receiving a sentence this harsh because he was scamming people.

Exactly! I'm glad someone finally pointed that out. The guy didn't get nailed for spamming - he got nailed for running cons.

Personally, although I absolutely loathe spammers, and hope Satan is setting up a special, cozy corner of hell just for them, I don't think spamming should be criminalized. Damn, too many things are already criminalized that shouldn't be. Civil liabilities are fine, but why the hell should the taxpayer have to give spammers 3 hots and a cot, which serves no one?

Of course, I think jail should be treated like a quarantine anyway. After all, most prisoners learn more about how to commit crime while in jail than out.

The guy didn't get nailed for spamming - he got nailed for running cons.

Actually, he was convicted on three counts of forging email headers. That's a form of fraud, but his scams and rip-off products technically were NOT what he was sentenced for. Hence the argument about the punishment fitting the crime.

blah blah blah.. so you agree he was scamming but he shouldn't be punished for violating a law that states that forging email headers is a fraud? Am I getting you right? What are you saying by getting us all clear on this? Maybe they should let him serve 6 years and 354 days then file new charges for the scamming? Here's a good example for you.. A man is told that by pushing a button he will get riches but it will steal or hurt millions of people.. Should he be punished for just pushing the button? All he did was push a button.. A drunk driver is just operating a maching pushing a lever and moving a wheel.. That's all they were doing.. Action= consequence even on the internet and it can't be overlooked.. It's easy to say people are stupid. There are people who can't defend themselves against others.. Is that thier fault? Should they have to take self-defense in order to get justice? Should everyone who get's an email suspect that it's of ill intent? Personally I do but no one should be forced to... This guy was a predator just like a mugger they just had different ways of getting the same thing.