A man once accused of being one of the world’s top three spammers has agreed to pay $7 million in a settlement with Microsoft Corp., the software maker announced Tuesday.

The money from Scott Richter and his company, OptInRealBig.com of Westminster, Colo., will be used to boost efforts to combat the illegal sending of unsolicited and misleading e-mail known as spam and other computer misuse, said Microsoft’s chief counsel, Brad Smith, in a news release issued Tuesday morning.