FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 30, 2007 Jim Rybicki Public Information Officer Phone (703) 842-4050 Fax: (703) 549-5202 Email: usavae.press@usdoj.gov Web Address: www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae Spammer Sentenced to 72 Months in Connection with Pump-and-Dump Stock Scams

(Alexandria, Virginia) – Justin Daniel Medlin, age 26, of Paris, France, was sentenced today to 72 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty on August 20, 2007, to spamming for a number of pump-and-dump stock schemes in 2004. In addition, Medlin has agreed to forfeit approximately $600,000 in assets. Chuck Rosenberg, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Guy Cottrell, Postal Inspector in Charge for the Washington Division; and, Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.

According to court documents, Medlin sent billions of electronic mail messages to e-mail addresses registered to America Online, Inc. and other Internet Service Providers. Between January and November 2004, Medlin sent spam to tens of millions of America Online subscribers touting securities controlled by Medlin’s co-conspirators for companies without any assets, revenues, or business operations. Tens of thousands of investors were fleeced of more than $22.9 Million as a result of these scams.

Co-conspirators Gregory Neu, Steven Luscko, and Brian Brunette were each sentenced earlier this year on related charges. Co-conspirators Henry Zemla, Lawrence Kaplan, and Michael Saquella each pled guilty to involvement in related stock manipulation schemes and are scheduled to be sentenced within the next few months.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys John Eisinger and Patrick Stokes prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.