SEATTLE, Wash. – A man indicted in Seattle for an extensive spamming operation makes his first appearance before a federal judge this afternoon.

Robert Alan Soloway is facing 25 counts, including mail fraud, wire fraud, e-mail fraud, identity theft and money laundering.

Court documents allege Soloway convinced customers that his company Newport Internet Marketing, could either send out high volumes of e-mail for them or sell a customer the technology to send out their own high volume of e-mails – technology that prosecutors say did not work.  Prosecutors also say Soloway also did not live up to promises of technical assistance or 100 percent refunds.  Customers who complained about the service were allegedly met with threats from Soloway to report them to a collection agency.

The crimes were allegedly committed between November 2003 and May 2007.

During that time, Soloway allegedly operated out of California, Oregon and finally Seattle.