The popular online hangout MySpace has won a $234 million judgment over junk messages sent to its members in what is believed to be the largest anti-spam award ever, The Associated Press has learned. A federal judge ruled against two of the Internet's most prominent spam defendants, Sanford Wallace and Walter Rines, after the two failed to show up at a court hearing Monday. Wallace has earned the nicknames "Spamford" and "spam king" for his past role as head of a company that sent as many as 30 million junk e-mails a day in the 1990s.

It's a big victory for MySpace, although service providers often have a tough time collecting such awards. But even if the News Corp. owned site never collects, the company hopes the judgment will deter other spammers.

"Anybody who's been thinking about engaging in spam are going to say, 'Wow, I better not go there,'" MySpace's chief security officer, Hemanshu Nigam, said. "Spammers don't want to be prosecuted. They are there to make money. It's our job to send a message to stop them."

There was no telephone listing for Wallace in the Las Vegas area. Service was disconnected for two listed numbers for Rines in Stratham, N.H.; a third number was unlisted.

Written By ANICK JESDANUN

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