The Australian Federal Police has charged a 32-year-old Blacktown man over a spam email campaign related to the upcoming Eden-Monaro by-election.
The man was arrested during a search warrant at his house and later conveyed to Parramatta Police Station, where he was charged with one count of using a telecommunications service to menace, harass or cause offence, contrary to section 474.17 (1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
The man was released on police bail and is due to appear before the Blacktown Local Court on 2 September 2020.
The AFP commenced the investigation following a report from the Electoral Integrity Assurance Taskforce and the Australian Electoral Commission on 10 June 2020.
The report related to spam emails, which appeared to be from legitimate sources, being sent from an unidentified user to the Australian community and various organisations. The emails were assessed as offensive and harassing in nature.
The AFP investigation identified the use of a number of telecommunications services subscribed using suspected fraudulent identification documents. Investigators will allege in court that these activities were linked to the 32-year-old man.
The AFP investigation into this matter remains ongoing.
