Virginia Gov. Mark Warner signed legislation into law April 29 intended to crack down on unwanted junk e-mail, or “spam,” through stiffer penalties. The governor calls it the toughest of its kind in the nation.

Although more than half the states have anti-spam laws, no other allows prosecutors to go after assets earned from spamming. The new law also makes spamming a felony punishable up to five years in prison.

“We want to be able to put out not only a potential criminal violation with the felony but also to seize the proceeds from this illegal activity – their cars, boats, airplanes, homes,” Warner said.

The new law also prohibits tools that allow companies or groups that send out bulk unsolicited e-mails to hide their identity.

Virginia Commonwealth University Information Systems research institute chair Richard Redmond told Richmond’s WWBT television the new law should reduce, but not necessarily eliminate, spam e-mails. His best advice to combat spam: Delete it.