gregoryjohn

That was then and this is now


ARChive


Wellington, New Zealand.

Questions

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  “Mega Conspiracy” accused Kim Dotcom, 37, who founded the Megaupload.com site and ran it from his $30 million Auckland mansion, appeared in the North Shore District Court this afternoon, following an early-morning raid. Co-accused Finn Batato, 38, and chief technical officer and co-founder Mathias Ortmann, 40, both from Germany, and Dutch national Bram van der Kolk, 29 also appeared. The quartet will face extradition hearings to the US where the indictments were laid, the US Justice Department said. Crown Law were acting on behalf of the US Government in court today. New Zealand’s involvement will be strictly to extradite the men. There will be no charges laid on behalf of New Zealand authorities. All four accused crammed into the dock, with Dotcom - also known as Kim Schmitz or Kim Tim Jim Vestor - at the front, flexing his hands by his sides.

  Indictment documents from the United States Court for the Eastern District of Virginia list five counts against the seven defendents, which it calls the “Mega Conspiracy”.

  They include conspiring to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit copyright infringement, conspiracy to commit money laundering, criminal copyright infringement by distributing material and by electronic means.

  The charges could result in more than 20 years in prison.

  Three others involved in the “conspiracy” - Julius Bencko, 35, from Slovakia, Sven Echternach, 39, from Germany and Andrus Nomm, 32, from Estonia - remained at large overseas, authorities said.

  The US Justice Department and the FBI today said Megaupload.com and other related sites allegedly generated more than US$175 million (NZ$217m) in criminal proceeds and caused copyright holders more than US$500m in lost revenue from pirated films and other content.

  HACKERS ATTACK

  The US government today shut down Megaupload.com but, in retaliation, hackers attacked the public websites of the US Justice Department, the world’s largest music company Universal Music, and the two big trade groups that represent the music and film industries.

  “The government takes down Megaupload? 15 minutes later Anonymous takes down government & record label sites,” a member of Anonymous said via Twitter.

  Representatives with the Justice Department and Recording Industry Association of America declined comment on the attacks. Officials with Universal Music could not immediately be reached.

  Motion Picture Association of America spokesman Howard Gantman said his group was working with law enforcement to identify the attackers.

  AUCKLAND MANSION RAIDED

  More than 70 police, including the armed offenders squad, searched Coatesville’s $30 million “Dotcom” mansion and nine others in Auckland early this morning as part of the swoop.

  Wormald said it was a complex operation that was planned with the help of four FBI agents who flew to New Zealand this week.

  20 Jan 2012