Watch Police Raid Kim Dotcom’s House
Kim Dotcom, founder of Megaupload, was arrested by police in January after law enforcement staged an elaborate raid on his New Zealand home. For the first time, video of that siege has been posted online.The footage shows a complex military-style operation that included semi-automatic weapons and at least one helicopter.
A New Zealand media outlet, 3NEWS, put together the report above.
Dotcom was arrested on a request from American authorities, who want him extradited to the United States to stand trial for copyright fraud on a massive scale.
However, a New Zealand judge recently ruled the police operation to detain Dotcom was illegal. The judge also called into question the legality of evidence submitted to the court against Dotcom and the FBI’s seizure of Megaupload’s data, throwing more monkey wrenches into an already complicated extradition process.
The fate of data stored on Megaupload’s servers remains unknown. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is suing the FBI to release it.
Until recently, Kim Dotcom was the top Modern Warfare 3 player in the world. He even apparently posted a video to prove it. We imagine it's tough to maintain such a coveted position while being held in jail for multiple copyright violations.
The Megaupload kingpin claims to have paid $500,000 for the City of Auckland to put on a 2011 New Year's firework display. In case any Kiwi were to forget who was funding the awesomeness, he produced a video replete with on-screen identification of his whereabouts during the show. "Yeah, that's me in my personal helicopter!"
Dotcom stands 6 feet 7 inches tall, and tips the scales at 300 pounds, according to CNET. No one really knows his exact measurements though. All reports we've seen have him measured differently so whatever his exact height and weight are, it's easy to see that his physical size matches his personality and ego.
He legally changed his surname from Schmitz to Dotcom in homage to the beloved World Wide Web that made him famous.
He once fancied himself an anti-terrorism fighter by offering a bounty of $10 million for Osama bin Laden after 9/11. He started a group called Young Intelligent Hackers Against Terrorism. He was so kind as to offer the authorities on the hunt a little of his own advice:
"Try Looking in Kandahar in Afghanistan. He visits his wife and daughter there at least once a month."
Image courtesy of iStock, Vesnaandjic
According to Vanity Fair, Dotcom is a "skilled and very fast driver" who raced in and won theGumball 3000 in 2005. He bet that he would beat two of the female drivers. If they finished before him, he'd give them each $500,000. If he won, they had to join him in a threesome. No report on what came of that.
According to the Wall Street Journal, we do know that when he was arrested, police confiscated 21 luxury cars.
Even when the game seemed to be up, Mr. Dotcom orchestrated a flamboyant exit. Police had to cut their way through electronic locks to a saferoom, where they found him clutching a gun.
Update: many sources reported that Mr. Dotcom was holding a weapon or had one in reach at the time of his arrest. As new details emerge about what actually happened we will continue to update our reporting.
Dotcom generated a spectacle wherever he went, often surrounded by cars and women, and wearing his trademark black outfit. He was even known to jump into hot tubs fully clothed. He made movies about himself racing cars, flirting with women, and riding in helicopters and private jets.
According to The New York Times, in 2001 he reportedly made more than $1 million when he allegedly bought shares in a struggling website, then falsely announced he would make a major investment, only to then sell his shares once the price went up after his announcement. He then defended himself by appearing on a popular late-night show, claiming people hated him because they didn't like his lifestyle. He then fled to Thailand before ultimately being apprehended.
He commissioned this well-produced music video starring many celebrities supporting the site, ostensibly in part to rub Megaupload in the face of copyright holders. Much controversy ensued.
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