Megaupload founder now broke?

WELLINGTON - Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, one of the world's most wanted cyber fugitives, says his nearly three-year fight against extradition to the United States to face online piracy charges has left him broke.

Dotcom, the New Zealand resident who once flaunted a fleet of vintage cars, a fully staffed rented mansion and globe-trotting holidays, said that his wealth had evaporated due to mounting legal fees which had resulted in the departure of most of his legal team.

The German national is due in a New Zealand court on Thursday, when he may be remanded in prison for allegedly breaching his bail conditions ahead of his extradition hearing, which has been pushed back to mid-2015.

Dotcom, who also goes by the name of Kim Schmitz, stands accused of massive copyright infringement related to the Megaupload file sharing site he founded in 2005.

"My legal team has recently resigned because I ran out of money after spending $10 million to try and defend myself," Dotcom said on Tuesday, speaking via teleconference at a digital technology conference in London. "I'm officially broke right now."

Set up in 2005, Megaupload accounted for around 4 percent of total traffic on the Internet in its heyday as users stored and shared files containing everything from wedding videos to Hollywood films.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Meet Megaupload founder's pretty Filipina wife

MANILA, Philippines - Kim Dotcom, the controversial founder of file-sharing website Megaupload, over the weekend launched a new cyberlocker called Mega.co.nz with much publicity.



Dotcom, who is fighting extradition to the US on charges of internet piracy, says the new site allows users to control who can access uploaded files. This would mean that Mega would not have access to the files, which could strip them of any possible liability for enabling users to distribute pirated content.

Despite his legal problems, the multimillionaire has continued to be supported by his Filipina wife Mona. A Reuters photo showed Mona, wearing a red jacket and skirt, at the Mega launch at their mansion in Auckland, New Zealand on January 20.

The pretty Filipina is an ex-model who has been married to Dotcom for several years now.

On her Twitter account (@MonaDotcom), she tweeted about the Mega launch and her husband's birthday. "Happy Birthday to the BEST, most loving and sweet husband in the world!!! @KimDotcom So proud of you! I will always be your no.1 fan," she said.

Mona is also active on Instagram, where she posts photos of her family. One photo shows the Filipina with a white Birkin bag.

According to various news reports, Kim met Mona Verga in the Philippines in November 2007. They married in July 2009, a day after her 21st birthday They now have five children, including twin baby girls.

The Dotcom family lives in an estate just outside of Auckland, which was where Kim was arrested last year. New Zealand's elite special tactics forces arrived by helicopter on the mansion's grounds to arrest him on copyright charges.

During the raid, the police seized numerous items. The New Zealand Herald reported last May 2012 that Mona applied with the court for the return of her personal belongings, including a G55 Mercedes, Christian Colin sculptures, a Chanel diamond wristwatch and a Rolex Oyster Perpetual watch. She said these were gifts from her husband.

In a recent interview with Reuters, Kim admitted he and his wife still panic when they hear loud noises.

"Every time you hear a helicopter, you automatically think, 'Oh, another raid', so it's something that stays with you for a long time," he said.

source: abs-cbnnews.com