U.S. Government Wins Dozens of Millions From Kim Dotcom

[shamu726]

The U.S. Government has won its civil forfeiture case against Megaupload and Kim Dotcom. As a result, the U.S. now owns Kim Dotcom's bank accounts, cars, art and other property worth dozens of millions of dollars. Megaupload's founder describes the ruling as unjust and says his team will file an appeal at a higher court.

Following the 2012 raid on Megaupload and Kim Dotcom, U.S. and New Zealand authorities seized millions of dollars in cash and other property.

Claiming the assets were obtained through copyright and money laundering crimes, last July the U.S. government launched a separate civil action in which it asked the court to forfeit the bank accounts, cars and other seized possessions of the Megaupload defendants.

Megaupload’s defense heavily protested the request but was found to have no standing, as Dotcom and his colleagues can be seen as fugitives.

A few hours ago District Court Judge Liam O’Grady ordered a default judgment in favor of the U.S. Government. This means that the contested assets, which are worth an estimated $67 million, now belong to the United States.

“It all belongs to the U.S. government now. No trial. No due process,” Dotcom informs TF.

More than a dozen Hong Kong and New Zealand bank accounts have now been forfeited (pdf) including some of the property purchased through them. The accounts all processed money that was obtained through Megaupload’s alleged illegal activities.

The list of forfeited assets further includes several luxury cars, such as a silver Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM and a 1959 pink Cadillac, two 108″ Sharp LCD TVs and four jet skis.

The memorandum issued by Judge O’Grady repeats many of the allegations in the original indictment. It lists links to infringing materials that could be found on the site and claims that Megaupload purposefully obfuscated its illegal intent.

Dotcom refutes these claims as “Hollywood nonsense” and maintains that Megaupload was operating legally and cooperated with copyright holders when required.

“The default judgment is so thick with DOJ and Hollywood nonsense that one might think they drafted it,” Dotcom says.

The New Zealand based entrepreneur believes that it’s been an unfair battle thus far, and with his assets now going to the U.S. it’s certainly not getting any easier.

But while the ruling is a huge blow, it also opens up the possibility to have the case reviewed by a higher court.

“For the first time we get the opportunity to test the decisions of this Judge at a higher court. Because of the way his previous rulings were designed he made an appeal impossible. But we now can and probably will appeal O’Grady’s decision on fugitive disentitlement and forfeiture,” Dotcom notes.

For now, however, the successful forfeiture request is the U.S. Government’s first major victory against Megaupload.

Meanwhile, Dotcom and his fellow Megaupload defendants are still waiting to hear whether they will be sent to the U.S. to stand trial. The extradition hearing will start early June, after a request from Dotcom’s lawyers to postpone it was turned down earlier this week.

Source: TorrentFreak

[myidisbb]

another illegal act by this pos communist admin

[steven36]

Yes we all know Kim Dotcom is a saint , not ..Watch and see when he goes to trial that they if they don't throw the book at him .. because hes guilty .. Hotfile had to pay all that money for doing less he did so hes going to lose it all ether way. People now days have fileshareing mixed up with downloading and making money . I want be shocked when the day comes most filelockers get shutdown because its not sharing really its a business that gets wealthy from piracy, Its for people who want to download and not share back thats how they make money off it , If most of them were not based outside the USA they would be already. Kim Dotcom dug his own grave by hosting all those files in the US . He didn't really work for all his money he conned it out of people . His wife even left him because she knew he never ever will get his money back . :lol:

Kim Dotcom’s Truth = Nothing but Lies

http://voxindie.org/Megaupload-truth-nothing-but-lies

[ugurano]

kim dotcom, the legend xD

[steven36]

Megaupload, the granddaddy of cyberlockers where the piracy for profit model was perfected and later copied by dozens of other online entrepreneurial thieves.

1. I told people years before this happen that no good would come from profit from upload , It could one day be the very downfall of warez forums what good would a site be with no download links? Before Kim Dotcom invented this and got busted I could share freely and not even worry at all . But its not worth the risk anymore . Because of what he done the file host I use to use to share on got scared and want allow it anymore even . :(

2. Its partly his fault . of why there trying rid the internet from fileshareing..Because he gave them the reason to start going after filehost by not following the rules and he put bad ideas in other peoples head to do the same.

3. He had so many restrictions when Megaupload was going you may had to wait a day to get a download slot as a free user or you could install this spyware on your computer called Megakey were for letting him harvest your info he would let you download 12 hrs a day free . While Mediafire was always free no strings attached . Sites like his is how i learn to use leechers to get around his money making / data harvesting scheme ... :P

4. Some people on here know who I am from the past and out of all the years I been around the been web scene I've never gave any money to any of these money making schemes. Im strongly against piracy for profit and always will be. It should be free . ;)

[mikie]

Piracy should be free - I Agree !! :)

I think most people sitting on a jury in usa .. it would be a little more than quite hard to convince them he's 100% pirate... so doubtful they would convict him after getting beat into their heads the jury rules & OMG, to forfeit 100% of his seized personal assets. Personal assets are like religion - you cant take away from someone their personal belongings unless you're a quite cold hearted person - Like a lawyer or politician, or to be blunt, call them what they are... almost all thiefs.

These government lawyers are seeing the possibility of missing their chance to play with that money or his toys before some other lawyers beat them to it.

[steven36]

Piracy should be free - I Agree !! :)

.. so doubtful they would convict him after getting beat into their heads the jury rules & OMG, to forfeit 100% of his seized personal assets. Personal assets are like religion - you cant take away from someone their personal belongings unless you're a quite cold hearted person - Like a lawyer or politician, or to be blunt, call them what they are... almost all thiefs.

They do it everyday with drugs , untaxed alcohol , money laundering and even owning money to the IRS . If you steal someones property and get caught selling it what happens? you do the crime, you do the time . it would not of been so bad but they have evidence on him were he got dmcas and instead deleting the file he just deleted the link and his employes had a internal search of the site watching all these files that had Dmca on them. . He only had one master file to each hash sum . You could upload something the link they gave was just the same file that was 1st uploaded . They didn't store but one each hash sum to each file and they never deleted that file or all the links .. just the reported ones . ;)

The United States authorities had charged Dotcom and others with particular offences, including money laundering and criminal breach of copyright, the decision said.

[davmil]

Yes we all know Kim Dotcom is a saint , not ..Watch and see when he goes to trial that they if they don't throw the book at him .. because hes guilty .. Hotfile had to pay all that money for doing less he did so hes going to lose it all ether way. People now days have fileshareing mixed up with downloading and making money . I want be shocked when the day comes most filelockers get shutdown because its not sharing really its a business that gets wealthy from piracy, Its for people who want to download and not share back thats how they make money off it , If most of them were not based outside the USA they would be already. Kim Dotcom dug his own grave by hosting all those files in the US . He didn't really work for all his money he conned it out of people . His wife even left him because she knew he never ever will get his money back . :lol:

Kim Dotcom’s Truth = Nothing but Lies

http://voxindie.org/Megaupload-truth-nothing-but-lies

That's how it goes with a Filipina wife. No money, no honey (ko).

[SnakeMasteR]

Kim Dotcom’s Truth = Nothing but Lies

http://voxindie.org/Megaupload-truth-nothing-but-lies

The piracy version of infowars, ehehehe.

Read: https://www.thepiratesociety.info/threads/ellen-seidler-the-deluded-pirate-hunter.90406/

[humble3d]

One (1) Question...

Are they gonna share some o dat money wit us ??

[steven36]

One (1) Question...

Are they gonna share some o dat money wit us ??

One thing is for sure Kim Dotcom was not going to share none of the money with us , Nether is any other person who got rich off these file-host money making scams.Kim Dotcom is were they got the idea from him to begin with So i don't defend these people

.When Kim Dotcom made mega he didn't even offer all those people who lost there files on Megaupload vouchers for free even for mega but he gave them to hackers to make them stop attacking his game he played . He don't look out for no one but himself . He was not the only person who lost stuff everyone lost there money and files when his site closed down that used his site. Then people turn right around and buy it again when Mega came out they never learn , now Paypal has ban it, so that means you need be getting your files out and put somewhere else if you live somewhere were its hard to buy before it runs out on you .

As far as who they share it with I guess that's a matter if you live in the US and receive some kind of government handout . ;)

[CODYQX4]

One (1) Question...

Are they gonna share some o dat money wit us ??

One thing is for sure Kim Dotcom was not going to share none of the money with us , Nether is any other person who got rich off these file-host money making scams.Kim Dotcom is were they got the idea from him to begin with So i don't defend these people

.When Kim Dotcom made mega he didn't even offer all those people who lost there files on Megaupload vouchers for free even for mega but he gave them to hackers to make them stop attacking his game he played . He don't look out for no one but himself . He was not the only person who lost stuff everyone lost there money and files when his site closed down that used his site. Then people turn right around and buy it again when Mega came out they never learn , now Paypal has ban it, so that means you need be getting your files out and put somewhere else if you live somewhere were its hard to buy before it runs out on you .

As far as who they share it with I guess that's a matter if you live in the US and receive some kind of government handout . ;)

How were they scams? Because a system doesn't like the content? He isn't getting sued for letting pedos upload CP, he had a file upload storage. People did actually make money, maybe it was all pirated crap, maybe not. Paying them was to encourage people to refer people, maybe they will buy a premium account. This, except it is GB not $$$, is the Dropbox business model. Put your files here, we'll work on encouraging them to sign up and pay us maybe.

Tell me why Google isn't getting sued/prosecuted. I bet you can throw pirated crap on that and send links all the same.

Sometimes it isn't about right or wrong, guilty or innocent.

They just want your money, and they will get it even if they scream your innocence from the mountains when the dust clears. Even the small city courts can operate like this.

This is a world where all large amounts of cash you have are automatically drug/terrorist money and they will put the damn cash on the stand at a trial, declare you innocent of any charges, but keep the money.

[steven36]

One (1) Question...

Are they gonna share some o dat money wit us ??

One thing is for sure Kim Dotcom was not going to share none of the money with us , Nether is any other person who got rich off these file-host money making scams.Kim Dotcom is were they got the idea from him to begin with So i don't defend these people

.When Kim Dotcom made mega he didn't even offer all those people who lost there files on Megaupload vouchers for free even for mega but he gave them to hackers to make them stop attacking his game he played . He don't look out for no one but himself . He was not the only person who lost stuff everyone lost there money and files when his site closed down that used his site. Then people turn right around and buy it again when Mega came out they never learn , now Paypal has ban it, so that means you need be getting your files out and put somewhere else if you live somewhere were its hard to buy before it runs out on you .

As far as who they share it with I guess that's a matter if you live in the US and receive some kind of government handout . ;)

How were they scams? Because a system doesn't like the content? He isn't getting sued for letting pedos upload CP, he had a file upload storage. People did actually make money, maybe it was all pirated crap, maybe not. Paying them was to encourage people to refer people, maybe they will buy a premium account. This, except it is GB not $$$, is the Dropbox business model. Put your files here, we'll work on encouraging them to sign up and pay us maybe.

Tell me why Google isn't getting sued/prosecuted. I bet you can throw pirated crap on that and send links all the same.

Sometimes it isn't about right or wrong, guilty or innocent.

They just want your money, and they will get it even if they scream your innocence from the mountains when the dust clears. Even the small city courts can operate like this.

This is a world where all large amounts of cash you have are automatically drug/terrorist money and they will put the damn cash on the stand at a trial, declare you innocent of any charges, but keep the money.

LOL funny I been around the Web scene for 8 years the old board I was from I had over 12 thousands posts ether from posting free links or helping someone out fixing something . I never had to buy one these scams to download or upload anything . People buying accounts to download warez its just because they don't know any better or dont know any other way its a scam is all.

Most people who upload to the ones that pay cash for warez the files never touch there computer they remote upload to there accounts though remote , They didn't use hardly any resourses and they get paid to provide you with something dont belong to them . That's not sharing that's getting paid for something thats free on P2P . Ftp , Web Distros and non reward paying filehost. that's a scam.

[CODYQX4]

One (1) Question...

Are they gonna share some o dat money wit us ??

One thing is for sure Kim Dotcom was not going to share none of the money with us , Nether is any other person who got rich off these file-host money making scams.Kim Dotcom is were they got the idea from him to begin with So i don't defend these people

.When Kim Dotcom made mega he didn't even offer all those people who lost there files on Megaupload vouchers for free even for mega but he gave them to hackers to make them stop attacking his game he played . He don't look out for no one but himself . He was not the only person who lost stuff everyone lost there money and files when his site closed down that used his site. Then people turn right around and buy it again when Mega came out they never learn , now Paypal has ban it, so that means you need be getting your files out and put somewhere else if you live somewhere were its hard to buy before it runs out on you .

As far as who they share it with I guess that's a matter if you live in the US and receive some kind of government handout . ;)

How were they scams? Because a system doesn't like the content? He isn't getting sued for letting pedos upload CP, he had a file upload storage. People did actually make money, maybe it was all pirated crap, maybe not. Paying them was to encourage people to refer people, maybe they will buy a premium account. This, except it is GB not $$$, is the Dropbox business model. Put your files here, we'll work on encouraging them to sign up and pay us maybe.

Tell me why Google isn't getting sued/prosecuted. I bet you can throw pirated crap on that and send links all the same.

Sometimes it isn't about right or wrong, guilty or innocent.

They just want your money, and they will get it even if they scream your innocence from the mountains when the dust clears. Even the small city courts can operate like this.

This is a world where all large amounts of cash you have are automatically drug/terrorist money and they will put the damn cash on the stand at a trial, declare you innocent of any charges, but keep the money.

LOL funny I been around the Web scene for 8 years the old board I was from I had over 12 thousands posts ether from posting free links or helping someone out fixing something . I never had to buy one these scams to download or upload anything . People buying accounts to download warez its just because they don't know any better or dont know any other way its a scam is all.

Most people who upload to the ones that pay cash for warez the files never touch there computer they remote upload to there accounts though remote , They didn't use hardly any resourses and they get paid to provide you with something dont belong to them . That's not sharing that's getting paid for thats free on P2P and non reward paying filehost.

I remember when everything used to be split on many forums in crap tons of RARs, that's how I started out downloading in 2007.

RapidShare was common as hell, and you were encouraged to buy an account because you were capped at Dialup Speed and dammit the kids need Office 2007 yesterday, so people paid. People seem more willing to use torrents now though, and I am glad the paid schemes died because many hosts, while still slow, are viable to download from, and the large stuff seems more commonly torrented, or spread. You guys here post lots of Windows and Office torrents for stuff like Windows 10 TP. I wasn't here until 2009, but people would have tried most places to post 50 RARs on RapidShare. They died because they lost their program, but still wanted to be super slow and offer nothing you couldn't get from an established Cloud Sharing Service (as in Dropbox, not just a Cyberlocker).

I'm not sure how much was MAFIAA targeting uploader rewards, and how much was Cloud Services offering fast sharing of links. I'm glad that changed, but I don't find that uploader rewards = banking on piracy only, because I always found the real hook to premium was the gimped speeds.

[steven36]

One (1) Question...

Are they gonna share some o dat money wit us ??

One thing is for sure Kim Dotcom was not going to share none of the money with us , Nether is any other person who got rich off these file-host money making scams.Kim Dotcom is were they got the idea from him to begin with So i don't defend these people

.When Kim Dotcom made mega he didn't even offer all those people who lost there files on Megaupload vouchers for free even for mega but he gave them to hackers to make them stop attacking his game he played . He don't look out for no one but himself . He was not the only person who lost stuff everyone lost there money and files when his site closed down that used his site. Then people turn right around and buy it again when Mega came out they never learn , now Paypal has ban it, so that means you need be getting your files out and put somewhere else if you live somewhere were its hard to buy before it runs out on you .

As far as who they share it with I guess that's a matter if you live in the US and receive some kind of government handout . ;)

How were they scams? Because a system doesn't like the content? He isn't getting sued for letting pedos upload CP, he had a file upload storage. People did actually make money, maybe it was all pirated crap, maybe not. Paying them was to encourage people to refer people, maybe they will buy a premium account. This, except it is GB not $$$, is the Dropbox business model. Put your files here, we'll work on encouraging them to sign up and pay us maybe.

Tell me why Google isn't getting sued/prosecuted. I bet you can throw pirated crap on that and send links all the same.

Sometimes it isn't about right or wrong, guilty or innocent.

They just want your money, and they will get it even if they scream your innocence from the mountains when the dust clears. Even the small city courts can operate like this.

This is a world where all large amounts of cash you have are automatically drug/terrorist money and they will put the damn cash on the stand at a trial, declare you innocent of any charges, but keep the money.

LOL funny I been around the Web scene for 8 years the old board I was from I had over 12 thousands posts ether from posting free links or helping someone out fixing something . I never had to buy one these scams to download or upload anything . People buying accounts to download warez its just because they don't know any better or dont know any other way its a scam is all.

Most people who upload to the ones that pay cash for warez the files never touch there computer they remote upload to there accounts though remote , They didn't use hardly any resourses and they get paid to provide you with something dont belong to them . That's not sharing that's getting paid for thats free on P2P and non reward paying filehost.

I remember when everything used to be split on many forums in crap tons of RARs, that's how I started out downloading in 2007.

RapidShare was common as hell, and you were encouraged to buy an account because you were capped at Dialup Speed and dammit the kids need Office 2007 yesterday, so people paid. People seem more willing to use torrents now though, and I am glad the paid schemes died because many hosts, while still slow, are viable to download from, and the large stuff seems more commonly torrented, or spread. You guys here post lots of Windows and Office torrents for stuff like Windows 10 TP. I wasn't here until 2009, but people would have tried most places to post 50 RARs on RapidShare. They died because they lost their program, but still wanted to be super slow and offer nothing you couldn't get from an established Cloud Sharing Service (as in Dropbox, not just a Cyberlocker).

I'm not sure how much was MAFIAA targeting uploader rewards, and how much was Cloud Services offering fast sharing of links. I'm glad that changed, but I don't find that uploader rewards = banking on piracy only, because I always found the real hook to premium was the gimped speeds.

I never bought RapidShare ether some give me free 30 days as a gift though because they used it to upload. But at lest they only gave out free traffic share and free accounts to those uploaded on it . But many scams were done from it people were reselling accounts against RapidShares wishes that's why they done away with rewards . MU use to pay cash for uploads and that's were all the others got the idea from.

RapidShare never was dumb enough to use USA servers ether but did have to pay fines for stuff they done in there own court of law . And got scared and try to become like drop box and went broke and are closing down because they made all there money from warez not storage.