Megaupload Founder in More Trouble
By Benjamin Lee
Kim Dotcom, one of the founders of Megaupload.com, was arrested last week for his website that took away over 500 million from copyright holders and promoted online piracy. Dotcom is under fire once again for a ‘joke email’ he sent out two years ago that authorities got a hold of. Since Dotcom has a long track record of previous run-ins with the law, it comes as no surprise that authorities did not take his joke so lightly. In April of 2010, Dotcom sent the following out to his neighborhood watch.
Dear Neighborhood-watch,
As you all know I recently moved into the Neighborhood and I am a former hacker. Well I was just hacking into a local mail server and guess what I found.
First of all let me assure you that having a criminal Neighbor like me comes with benefits.
1. Our newly opened local money laundering facility can help you with your tax fraud optimization.
2. Our network of international insiders can provide you with valuable stock tips.
3. My close personal relations with other (far worse) criminals can help you whenever you have to deal with a nasty Neighbor.
In all seriousness: My wife, two kids and myself love New Zealand and ‘We come in peace’.
Fifteen years ago I was a hacker and 10 years ago I was convicted for insider trading. Hardly the kind of crimes you need to start a witch hunt for. Since then I have been a good boy, my criminal records have been cleared, and I created a successful Internet company that employs 100+ people.
All the media has to report are old news. Why? Because I have chosen to avoid the media. Just look what the media did to this Neighborhood. Scary.
Now you can make a choice: 1: Call Interpol, the CIA, and the Queen of England and try to get me on the next plane out of New Zealand. 2: Sit back, relax and give me a chance to do good for New Zealand and possibly the Neighborhood.
If you feel like it come over for coffee sometimes. And don’t forget to bring the cocaine (joke). All the best, Kim.
The Guardian
Though I found the email humorous, neighbors did not, reporting that it “scared the hell out of everybody”. Dotcom may have had the right intention in trying to ease his neighbors’ worries, but he can only regret sending that email now, as it alludes to his past criminal behavior and possible current drug use. This email was sent almost two years ago, and Dotcom probably thought nothing would come of a harmless email. Boy, was he wrong!
More and more companies are investing in email archiving solutions, as they help litigation processes run more smoothly, provide a clearer picture to trials and cases, and save time and money! This is bad news for people like Dotcom, but good news for everyone else in the world.
