(CNN) -- Everything Kim Dotcom does is mega. He's a mountain of a man with an imposing multi-million dollar fortune, amassed through a series of Internet ventures, which is now being spent on ambitious bid to unseat the current New Zealand prime minister. Dotcom's story starts in 1974, when he was born Kim Schmitz in Germany. He first attracted the attention of authorities in his early 20s when he was convicted of a number of offenses, including computer fraud. He's now wanted by the U.S. for alleged copyright infringement on a grand scale. According to indictment filed in 2012, Dotcom -- who legally changed his name -- and six associates are accused of being members of "a worldwide criminal enterprise" dubbed the "Mega Conspiracy."
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Entrepreneur wanted on U.S. copyright charges emerges as political player in New Zealand
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Kim Dotcom is accused of making millions by encouraging users to upload copyrighted material
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Charges relate to the Megaupload site, among others, according to a 2012 indictment
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He lives in Auckland, and formed a political party to campaign for Internet freedom
Dotcom has called the raid "needlessly theatrical" and a further attempt by @placeholder authorities to smear his image.