New Zealand minister OKs Kim Dotcom extradition to US
- Reference: 1723810511
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/08/16/kim_dotcom_us_extradition/
- Source link:
The verbose Dotcom [1]informed his Twitter/X followers of the news in a grievance-filled post, alongside warnings of worldwide systemic collapse.
The extradition order was [2]reportedly signed by New Zealand minister of justice Paul Goldsmith.
[3]
"I considered all of the information carefully, and have decided that Mr Dotcom should be surrendered to the US to face trial. As is common practice, I have allowed Mr Dotcom a short period of time to consider and take advice on my decision," a Goldsmith spokesperson told media.
[4]
[5]
Dotcom [6]told his social media followers not to worry – he "has a plan."
"I love New Zealand. I'm not leaving," he [7]added .
[8]
Dotcom [9]indicated that his plan to stay in New Zealand – where he has been a permanent resident since 2010 – involves tying the extradition up in appeals until the world is "a very different place."
[10]Megaupload programmers cop a plea in New Zealand to avoid extradition
[11]Big Music reprises classic hit 'ISPs need to stop their customers torrenting or we'll sue'
[12]Mega's unbreakable encryption proves to be anything but
[13]Nintendo sues alleged Switch pirate pair for serious coin
It's easy to see why Dotcom would assume the extradition process may go on long enough to be considered indefinite. After all, he has been resisting extradition to the United States since 2012 – well past the relevance of his product. While a 2020 court decision [14]upheld the request that he could be extradited, it would have required ministerial action to do so.
It's not known whether Goldsmith finally worked down to that portion of his to-do list, or simply faced enough external pressure.
The US asserts that the German-born entrepreneur and right-wing conspiracy theory aficionado made his fortune from digital piracy. Dotcom and his colleagues allegedly did little to prevent the sharing of copyrighted materials – even promoting it through paid incentives on the platform.
Dotcom and associates have maintained that just because they built the platform, that doesn't make them responsible for users' actions.
[15]
"The charge against you is like holding the postmaster responsible for illegal literature in a post office box – it's ridiculous," one supporter [16]and/or potential bot commented on Tuesday.
Authorities shut down Megaupload in January 2012, and the US Department of Justice presented him and his co-defendants with a host of indictments that year.
Those charges [17]included [PDF] conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit copyright infringement, criminal copyright infringement, aiding and abetting of criminal copyright infringement, and wire fraud.
Two of Dotcom's co-defendants pleaded guilty in [18]exchange for an end to their extradition. They also agreed to assist US authorities.
Mathias Ortmann was sentenced to two years and seven months in 2023. Bram van der Kolk was sentenced to two years and six months.
Megaupload, now known as Mega, operates out of New Zealand as an online privacy service. Kim Dotcom has no connection with the business. ®
Get our [19]Tech Resources
[1] https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/1823288089701421204
[2] https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350380271/justice-minister-signs-kim-doctoms-extradition-order
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Zr93pSxwD3vAPIL68YN2KwAAARY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Zr93pSxwD3vAPIL68YN2KwAAARY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Zr93pSxwD3vAPIL68YN2KwAAARY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://x.com/KimDotcom/status/1823993237931221340
[7] https://x.com/KimDotcom/status/1824000525500584077
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Zr93pSxwD3vAPIL68YN2KwAAARY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://x.com/KimDotcom/status/1823291550597845432
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/16/megaupload_defendants_jailed/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/16/big_music_vs_verizon_torrenting/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/22/megas_encryption_broken/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/02/nintendo_piracy_lawsuits/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2020/11/04/remember_kim_dotcom_new_zealands/
[15] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Zr93pSxwD3vAPIL68YN2KwAAARY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[16] https://x.com/Michael_Kelly_2/status/1823289812092391471
[17] https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/usao-edva/legacy/2013/12/20/Certified%20Mega%20Superseding%20Indictment%20%282-16-2012%29.pdf
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/16/megaupload_defendants_jailed/
[19] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Paying Trump for a release
Unless you've been in a timewarp you will note that the original charges were filed in 2012 and, despite the world suffering an awful lot from orangeness since then, KDC is still on the run ...
Re: Paying Trump for a release
KDC isn't really on the run. Everyone knows he is in New Zeeland and KDC himself is not exactly denying that either. What has changed now, unlike during Trump's first term, is an actual extradition approval. KDC says he has a new plan to avoid extradition, which will be different from his previous plan to avoid extradition using the legal process. Banking on Trump grabbing power might be part of his plan.
Re: Paying Trump for a release
Are you sure Musk actually paid the money ?
Because his mouth is full of promises, and his acts are full of deception . . .
A Warning To Other "Cloud" Users.......
.....if you think that "cloud-based" storage and backups might be a good idea......
.....just consider that MegaUpload was shut down in less than seven days because the US asked for the closure........
.....without warning........
.....do the math......can you get your data get restored LOCALLY using the bandwidth you have LOCALLY.....in a day or two?
.....if the answer is "No"......you need to do a risk assessment and some detailed planning!
Re: A Warning To Other "Cloud" Users.......
Yeah, too bad that 99.9% of Mega users ruined it for the rest of us...
Mega also deleted files after period of inactivity so using it for any long term storage would not have been a sound decision in any case.
The farce awakens
This soap opera has been going on for so long that the only way his name could sound more outdated is if he called himself Michael Modem.
Re: The farce awakens
Indeed; the first I heard of the person was back when he was going by Kim “Kimble” Schmitz when [1]Attrition.org was still keeping track of such charlatans.
His antics are, at this stage, not remotely entertaining or amusing- if anything, they are pitiful.
Additionally, if he's holding out on trying to ask the Orange Menace for a bribe paid pardon, Mr. Tiny Hands doesn't work like that- you have to give him something of significant value first- something that would utterly ruin you otherwise. (Just ask Rudy Giuliani how well that worked out.)
[1] https://attrition.org/errata/charlatan/kimble/
Tying the extradition up in appeals
Maybe he could find long-term shelter in a nearby Ecuadorian ambassy ... ?
The Meng exit
Make a "deferred prosecution" deal and pay a fine....
If KDC has any sense he would have been spending the last 12 year squirreling away his money and left himself with just enough to live off, then if the extradition to the US he might have to do some time but can claim he can't pay the however many billions the media companies claim they have lost because of people sharing on Megaupload.
Although i don't know if the US have an equivalent of the UK proceeds of crime act, which basically says when you get charged with a financial crime any money and assets you have are assumed to be from criminal activity, unless you can prove otherwise. Kinda of fscked up really as puts the burden on the defense to prove its not from crime rather than the prosecution to prove it is.
The US has both criminal and civil forfeiture for the proceeds of crime. So even if KDC wasnt found guilty of crimes himself, the federal authorities can still seize assets that they are able to argue were the results of criminal activity. That way the proceeds of crime can't be "washed" by being given to others.
In the past civil forfeiture has been used to seize organised crime proceeds from people like mafia bosses even when there isn't proof they directed the criminal activity. I think it's currently being used to go after assets that Sam Bankman-Fried gave to his parents.
Paying Trump for a release
Could Kim Dotcom's plan involve waiting until Donald Trump assumes the US presidency and then just pay him to have the charges dropped? Musk paid $45 million to Trump to stop him shit-talking about EVs, letting Trump instruct a DoJ full of his cronies to drop all the charges might come in cheaper.