Two men who helped run the once wildly popular pirating website Megaupload have each been sentenced by a New Zealand court to more than two years in prison. The sentencing of Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk ended an 11-year legal battle by the men to avoid extradition to the United States on more serious charges that included racketeering. The sentencing came after the men struck a deal last year with prosecutors from New Zealand and the U.S. Kim Dotcom, the founder of Megaupload, is continuing to fight the U.S. charges and threat of extradition. He has said he expects his former colleagues to testify against him as part of the deal they struck.

U.S. prosecutors say Megaupload raked in at least $175 million — mainly from people who used the site to illegally download songs, television shows and movies -— before the FBI shut it down in early 2012 and arrested Dotcom and other company officers.

  •  itchy_lizard   ( @itchy_lizard@feddit.it ) English
    3•1 year ago

    Kim Dotcom, the founder of Megaupload, is continuing to fight the U.S. charges and threat of extradition. He has said he expects his former colleagues to testify against him as part of the deal they struck.

    •  barsoap   ( @barsoap@lemm.ee ) English
      8•1 year ago

      His expectation there matches his past behaviour, hardly surprising he has it (and probably justified). It’s been a while but in the early 90s he ratted out pirates and fellow credit card fraudsters, still ended up with two years suspended sentence (tried as juvenile) for fraud, computer fraud, organised fencing (not the rapier kind), and misuse of titles.

      Then there was that investment fraud thing, one and a half year suspended plus 100k Euro, early 2000s.

      Generally speaking: Big brain, giant ego, complete lack of wisdom.

      Now I’m sure Kiwis have plenty to gripe about about the behaviour of their government, but rest assured that it’s not hitting anyone innocent.

            •  barsoap   ( @barsoap@lemm.ee ) English
              3•1 year ago

              It’s a crime against good character.

              Let me put it this way: Noone, absolutely noone, who knew him before he started megaupload, and among those are what 90% privacy tinfoil hats very invested in all kinds of civil rights, were up in arms when his bullshit finally caught up with him.

              That NZ fucked up doing it – well, so be it. Noone over here was doubting his guilt because grifting is all he’s ever done. Don’t confuse him for the TPB folks, people with an actual mission: Kim is a crook with attitude.

              •  itchy_lizard   ( @itchy_lizard@feddit.it ) English
                4•1 year ago

                I still don’t see a victim. Being upset by someone speaking mean things on the Internet is not make you a victim.

                I agree he’s a controversial figure and probably an egotistical ass. That doesn’t mean we have the right to use violence to lock him in a cage.

                In fact, many would argue that he’s the victim. He was illegally raided. He had hard drives stolen at the hands of violent thugs. Making a copy of information isn’t theft. Physically stealing a hard drive is theft.