MegaUpload.com – Key executives arrested

The elusive, yet known “Kim dotcom” – among other things, founder and boss of MegaUpload.com has been arrested in Auckland.

Armed New Zealand police liaising with US authorities said they arrested Kim Schmitz in his home in New Zeland today.

The US wants to extradite the man to face prosecution for online piracy, on charges of racketeering and money-laundering that could carry jail time of up to 20 years.

The following members of megaupload are charged :

– Finn Batato, 38, a citizen and resident of Germany, who is the chief marketing officer;
– Julius Bencko, 35, a citizen and resident of Slovakia, who is the graphic designer;
– Sven Echternach, 39, a citizen and resident of Germany, who is the head of business development;
– Mathias Ortmann, 40, a citizen of Germany and resident of both Germany and Hong Kong, who is the chief technical officer, co-founder and director;
– Andrus Nomm, 32, a citizen of Estonia and resident of both Turkey and Estonia, who is a software – programmer and head of the development software division;
– Bram van der Kolk, aka Bramos, 29, a Dutch citizen and resident of both the Netherlands and New Zealand, who oversees programming and the underlying network structure for the Mega conspiracy websites.

This case is part of efforts being undertaken by the Department of Justice Task Force on Intellectual Property (IP Task Force) to stop the theft of intellectual property. Attorney General Eric Holder created the IP Task Force to combat the growing number of domestic and international intellectual property crimes, protect the health and safety of American consumers, and safeguard the nation’s economic security against those who seek to profit illegally from American creativity, innovation and hard work. The IP Task Force seeks to strengthen intellectual property rights protection through heightened criminal and civil enforcement, greater coordination among federal, state and local law enforcement partners, and increased focus on international enforcement efforts, including reinforcing relationships with key foreign partners and U.S. industry leaders.

To conclude : Again, do not mess with the US of A !

Guillaume

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