Microsoft helped snare a pair of Florida spammers, the company announced Monday, as the Florida attorney general charged two men with running scams that enticed people to fraudulent pharmaceutical and cigarette sites.

Attorney General' Charlie Christ's office filed suit against Tampa residents Scott Filary, 25, and Donald Townsend, 34, accusing both of sending more than 65,000 illegal spams during the past year. If found guilty, the pair could face fines of up to $24 million under Florida's anti-spam law, which taps spammers $500 for each illegal message they send to Florida residents.

The suit is the result of a six-month investigation by Christ's office as well as by Microsoft, the latter through honeypot-style accounts on its Hotmail Web-based e-mail service.

Previously, the Redmond, Wash.-based developer has worked with attorneys general to nail spammers in states ranging from New York to Texas.

"We're convinced that strong actions like those being taken today by the Florida attorney general will help make illegal spam a thing of the past," said Nancy Anderson, deputy general counsel for Microsoft, in a statement.

An analyst from a third-part security firm agreed. "The message from the Florida Attorney General's office is fairly clear," said Gregg Mastora, a senior security analyst with U.K.-based Sophos, in a statement. "This action will certainly make other spammers who aim to defraud think twice."