[135], Dotcom claimed to be a legitimate businessman who has been persecuted by the United States government and industry trade groups such as the RIAA and Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). [21], Dotcom participated in a mock funeral procession for public broadcaster TVNZ 7 in downtown Auckland, on the day of its final broadcast. [59], On 2 November, Dotcom announced a new file storage service, similar to Megaupload, using the domain name me.ga. Mansfield had the passage translated by three independent academics who said it had a very different meaning and should read: "At some stage a judge will be talked into how bad we allegedly are and then it will be a mess. Elizabeth Donnelly's ex-boyfriend insists the pair split before she became involved with internet tycoon, Kim Dotcom. My heart turned ice-cold after my separation from Mona. ', Horror concert survivor Bailley Unahi 'I now see it as a blessing', Beyond funny Joanna Prendergast's brave routine, Silver Fern Karin Burger 'I live by my own rules', The best King Charles III memorabilia for his upcoming coronation. [47][6], Dotcom moved to Thailand to avoid investigation,[8] but was arrested there at the request of the German embassy. He and others arrested face decades in jail if successfully extradited to the United States and convicted on copyright, money laundering and other charges. He at one point owned at least 18 luxury cars including a pink 1959 Cadillac and three cars with vanity license plates reading HACKER, MAFIA, and STONED. US prosecutors alleged his file-sharing business had facilitated widespread piracy of films and publications, costing rights holders more than US$500 million (NZ$757m). Elizabeth Donnelly, 22, married the 44-year-old boss of defunct filesharing website Megaupload at a secret ceremony in Auckland on January 20, Instagram photos show the slender brunette sporting designer clothes posing next to luxury cars around New Zealand and their poolside bungalow. [109] "I take full responsibility for this loss tonight", Dotcom told reporters as election results became clear, "because the brandthe brand Kim Dotcomwas poison for what we were trying to achieve".