WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)—A post on Kim Dotcom’s X account on Monday announced that the internet entrepreneur, who is battling deportation from New Zealand to the United States on accusations related to his file-sharing website Megaupload, has suffered a major stroke.
The greatest medical experts are assisting me in my recuperation. I will return as soon as possible. The post asked for patience and prayers for my family and me.
Ira Rothken, the attorney for Dotcom, told The Associated Press that the remark was true. Rothken did not elaborate on whether the message was written by Dotcom or by another party.
The U.S. government has been fighting for a long time to extradite the Finnish-German millionaire from New Zealand to the United States to face allegations of copyright infringement, money laundering, and racketeering. The news of his poor health comes during this time.
In an attempt to resolve a 12-year court struggle, New Zealand’s justice minister ruled in August that Dotcom should be turned over to the United States for trial. There was no set timetable for the extradition, and Minister Paul Goldsmith stated that Dotcom will have a little window of opportunity to think things through and seek advice.
At the time, Rothken stated on X that Dotcom planned to contest the ruling in court via judicial review, which asks a judge to determine whether an official’s decision was made correctly.
The story continues with Dotcom and other company officers being arrested in a dramatic raid on his Auckland residence in 2012. According to prosecutors, before the FBI shut it down earlier that year, the once-wildly popular Megaupload made at least $175 million, mostly from users who downloaded songs, TV series, and movies illegally.
Attorneys representing the Finnish-German millionaire and the other people detained have maintained that the site’s users, not its creators, were the ones who decided to pirate content. The site was established in 2005. Prosecutors countered that the men were the masterminds of a massive criminal scheme, which the Department of Justice called the biggest criminal copyright case in American history.
For years, the men opposed the decision, criticizing the investigation and the arrests. However, in 2021, the Supreme Court of New Zealand decided that Dotcom and two other individuals might be extradited. The decision to proceed with the extradition was left to the nation’s justice minister.
I adore New Zealand. In August, German-born Dotcom posted on X, “I’m not leaving.” An AP request for comment at the time and on Monday was not answered by him.
In order to escape extradition to the United States, two of Dotcom’s former business partners entered guilty pleas to the accusations against them and were sentenced to prison in New Zealand. An extradition attempt against another, who has since passed away from cancer, was dropped by prosecutors.
In his statement on Monday, Dotcom did not specify the time of his stroke. The internet tycoon, who frequently uses X, last made a post on the website on November 6.
The Associated Press, 2024. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. It is prohibited to publish, broadcast, rewrite, or redistribute this content without authorization.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!