Free Republic

WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (AP) -- A suburban Detroit man described as one of the nation's leading senders of unsolicited commercial e-mail, or spam, says an FBI raid on his home-office has halted his operation. Warrants unsealed last week show that a September raid on Alan M. Ralsky's home in West Bloomfield included the seizure of financial records, computers and disks. Agents also raided the West Bloomfield home of his son-in-law, Scott Bradley. "We're out of business at this point in time," Ralsky told The Detroit News for a story Sunday. "They didn't shut us down. They took all our equipment,...

West Bloomfield bulk e-mailer Alan Ralsky, who just may be the world's biggest sender of Internet spam, is getting a taste of his own medicine. Ever since I wrote a story on him a couple of weeks ago (www.freep.com/money/tech/mwend22_20021122.htm), he says he's been inundated with ads, catalogs and brochures delivered by the U.S. Postal Service to his brand-new $740,000 home. It's all the result of a well-organized campaign by the anti-spam community, and Ralsky doesn't find it funny. "They've signed me up for every advertising campaign and mailing list there is," he told me. "These people are out of their...

<p>West Bloomfield bulk e-mailer Alan Ralsky, who just may be the world's biggest sender of Internet spam, is getting a taste of his own medicine.</p> <p>Ever since I wrote a story on him a couple of weeks ago (www.freep.com/money/tech/mwend22_20021122.htm), he says he's been inundated with ads, catalogs and brochures delivered by the U.S. Postal Service to his brand-new $740,000 home.</p>

<p>You might call it the house that spam built.</p> <p>Alan Ralsky's brand new 8,000-square-foot luxury home near Halsted and Maple in West Bloomfield has been a busy place this month. Outside, landscapers worked against the November cold to get a sprinkler system installed before the ground freezes. Inside, painters prepared to hang wallpaper.</p>