A North Carolina man convicted of illegally sending millions of pieces of junk Email to America Online subscribers was granted bond Monday while he awaits sentencing.

A circuit court judge in Leesburg granted $1bail for 30-year-old Jeremy Jaynes on the condition that he submit to electronic monitoring in Loudoun County while on bond.

Jaynes, who's from the Raleigh area, was convicted last week, and the jury recommended nine years in prison in the nation's first-ever felony trial for illegal transmission of unsolicited bulk Email, or Spam.

Jaynes will be formally sentenced in February, but his defense attorney is hopeful that either the judge will set aside the verdict or that Virginia's new anti-Spam law will be overturned on constitutional grounds.

Prosecutors call Jaynes a flight risk, saying he has amassed millions of dollars from his illegal Spam operations and funneled money to overseas accounts.

Jaynes' sister, Jessica DeGroot, was also convicted last week, but was not sentenced to jail time. A third defendant was acquitted.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)