Howard Carmack, known as the "Buffalo Spammer," received the maximum sentence for 14 counts of identity theft and forgery, the state attorney-general's office said yesterday.
Carmack sent out 825 million bulk e-mail messages using stolen identities and forged addresses, the court found, and was the first defendant to face charges under the state's new identity theft statute.
He was found guilty in April.
The forgery conviction fetched the longest sentence, while the other convictions drew shorter sentences of one year to four years.  All will be served concurrently, said Brad Maione, spokesperson for Attorney-General Eliot Spitzer.
With good behaviour in prison, Carmack could be out in 3 1/2 years, Maione said.
Internet provider EarthLink Inc. won a $16.5 million (U.S.) judgment against Carmack last year, and EarthLink officials testified in the criminal trial as well.
"We're satisfied that today's sentencing sends a strong message to spammers, and EarthLink will continue to investigate spammers and work with law enforcement," EarthLink lawyer Karen Cashion said.
Many of Carmack's alleged activities are illegal under a national anti-spam law that took effect in January, seven months after he was charged
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