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Rolls-Royce, Maserati, 16 others seized in Dotcom raid

By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY

Now here's a man who loves his cars. Kim Dotcom had a fleet of the nicest luxury cars you could find -- and now they've all been hauled away by authorities in New Zealand.

An Internet kingpin? It's hard to figure out what to call Dotcom, the man atop what federal prosecutors allege is a $175 million worldwide Internet piracy operation called Megaupload. He went to court in New Zealand yesterday after a weekend in jail on charges prosecutors brought from a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Virginia.

Dotcom, a German whose original name was Kim Schmitz, flaunted his wealth. Besides a $23 million home that was considered New Zealand's most expensive residence, he had 18 vehicles, including a 2010 Maserati convertible, a 2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead coupe, half a dozen high-end Mercedes AMG models, a 1959 Cadillac convertible and a Von Dutch Kustom motorcycle. Affixed to the flashy cars were eye-catching vanity license plates. Among them: "EVIL," "GOOD," "GOD," "STONED," "CEO," "MAFIA," "HACKER" and "GUILTY."

All were seized:

As USA TODAY's Bill Welch reported, a 72-page indictment charges Dotcom and other officers of his Megaupload empire with racketeering, copyright infringement and money laundering.

Megaupload's file-sharing websites were shut down last week. The indictment alleges that the company facilitated illegal downloads of copyright movies, music, TV shows and other content. It says the worldwide operation took in $175 million, most of it in subscription fees paid, often via PayPal, by members who gained access to downloads. It alleges the company paid cash to people who uploaded large amounts of copyright-protected content.

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