Man guilty of Internet spam in AOL case

An Azusa man who defrauded users of Time Warner Inc.’s America Online unit by sending e-mails requesting credit data became the first defendant found guilty by a jury under a 2003 federal law barring Internet spam.

Jeffrey Goodin, 45, was convicted under the 2003 Can-Spam Act, the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles said Tuesday. The statute prohibits sending unsolicited e-mail messages with falsified header, or return address, information.

Goodin operated a so-called phishing scheme that duped AOL subscribers into providing personal and credit information in the belief they were dealing with the company’s billing department, prosecutors said. Goodin used the credit card information to make unauthorized purchases. The total financial damages were about $1 million, Assistant U.S. Atty. Rozella Oliver said.

Goodin is scheduled to be sentenced June 11 in Los Angeles federal court.