Spamless in Seattle

4:55 PM -- The mood of the anti-spam community today was downright giddy with the arrest of the "Spam King." Gloating law enforcement officials promised an instant decrease in spam.

But from the looks of my spam volume today, the notorious Robert Soloway must not have been spamming my inbox, anyway.

That seems a bit odd, though, since he and his empire were reportedly sending out billions of spam messages every day. And he wasn't exactly subtle -- he was well-acquainted with Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT)'s legal team and others through lawsuits, and until he was arrested yesterday, he lived an openly lavish lifestyle on the Seattle waterfront. But he showed up in court wearing loafers without socks, one report said, apparently claiming he has no money.

Yeah, and I have no spam in my inbox.

Researchers and investigators had set their sights on Soloway for a few years, so it was only a matter of time until the money trail led them right to him. But while they were giving high-fives and patting one another on the back for snaring one of the most notorious spammers today, it was still business as usual for the rest of the spam underworld.

Well, gotta run and claim my "winnings" from that email I got today -- now that Soloway is off the streets, it's much safer.

— Kelly Jackson Higgins, Senior Editor, Dark Reading