EarthLink Inc. has started legal action against a multi-state spam ring in which 16 individuals and corporations sent out more than 250 million illegal junk e-mails, the Atlanta-based Internet service provider said.

The lawsuit identifies alleged individuals and corporations in Orlando, Fla.; Woodland Hills, Marina Del Rey, Valencia, and Los Angeles, Calif.; Medina, Tenn.; Southfield, Mich.; and Las Vegas and Carson City, Nev.

According to an amended complaint filed Feb. 17 in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, the "Alabama Spammers" -- so-called because of their frequent use of phone lines in and around Birmingham, Ala. -- represent a technically sophisticated criminal organization that "engaged in a massive scheme of theft, spamming and spoofing." The lawsuit alleges that the defendants used a hierarchy of falsified names, false addresses and non-existent corporate entities to disguise the identities of individuals involved. [...]