A man convicted in the nation's first felony case against illegal spamming was sentenced to nine years in prison yesterday for bombarding Internet users with millions of junk e-mails.

However, Loudoun County Circuit Judge Thomas Horne delayed the start of Jeremy Jaynes' prison term while the case is appealed, saying the law is new and raises constitutional questions.

A jury had recommended the nine-year term.

Jaynes, 30, who was considered among the top 10 spammers in the world at the time of his arrest, used the Internet to peddle pornography and sham products and services such as a "FedEx refund processor," prosecutors said. Thousands of people fell for his e-mails, and prosecutors said Jaynes' operation grossed up to $750,000 per month.

Santa Maria, Calif.

Culkin was molested, Jackson trial is told

The latest in a parade of former Michael Jackson employees to take the stand against their ex-boss testified yesterday that he once saw Jackson with his hand inside child star Macaulay Culkin's shorts but didn't tell anyone because "nobody would have ever believed this."

Phillip LeMarque, 70, who said he and his wife worked for Jackson for 10 months in 1991, said he never made his allegations until 1993, when authorities came to him in connection with another child's claims against the pop star.

Under cross-examination by Jackson attorney Tom Mesereau, LeMarque acknowledged he and his wife considered selling the story to the tabloids and that he told an intermediary he wanted $500,000. But he said he and wife backed out when they realized the intermediary "was so sleazy."

Jackson, 46, is charged with molesting a 13-year-old boy at his ranch in 2003.

San Francisco

Conviction over Bush threat voided

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday overturned an Oregon inmate's conviction for writing a crude, rambling letter endorsing President Bush's death at the hands of terrorists — two weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Jonathan Lincoln was charged with threatening the president and given an 18-month sentence last year.

A unanimous three-judge panel said the letter was protected under the First Amendment.

Orlando, Fla.

E. coli outbreak traced to petting zoo

Investigators concluded yesterday that farm animals from a single petting zoo in Plant City, Fla., spread the dangerous bacteria that caused a rash of E. coli infections among fairgoers.

Twenty-six people in Florida — 23 children and three adults — have been confirmed with illnesses. An additional 42 suspected cases are under investigation.

ALSO

Stamp increase? The U.S. Postal Service yesterday asked Congress to authorize a 2-cent increase in the price of stamps — but only because a 2003 law requires the agency to place $3.1 billion annually in an escrow account.

Falling short: The Army National Guard yesterday announced that it fell 12 percent short of its March goal of adding 5,933 new troops to its rolls.

Bank job: Robert Royko, 41-year-old son of late newspaper columnist Mike Royko, was arrested yesterday after he allegedly walked into a Chicago bank with a device rigged to look like a pipe bomb and demanded a bag of cash, authorities said.

Deadly spree: Allison Lamont Norman, 22, charged with murder in a shooting spree that left two dead, was denied bail yesterday at a hearing in Salisbury, Md.