Dotcom faces criminal charges relating to the defunct file-sharing service Megaupload.

Per Reuters:

German-born Dotcom, who has New Zealand residency, has been fighting extradition to the United States since 2012 following a FBI-ordered raid on his Auckland mansion.

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith signed an extradition order for Dotcom, a spokesperson for the Minister of Justice said

“I considered all of the information carefully, and have decided that Mr Dotcom should be surrendered to the U.S. to face trial,” Goldsmith said in a statement.

“As is common practice, I have allowed Mr Dotcom a short period of time to consider and take advice on my decision. I will not, therefore, be commenting further at this stage.”

“Don’t worry I have a plan,” Dotcom said.

“I love New Zealand. I’m not leaving,” he added.

The Verge reports:

As the founder and former CEO of Megaupload, Dotcom (born Kim Schmitz) was accused by US authorities of having cost film studios and record companies over $500 million by enabling users to share pirated content. The German-born Internet mogul moved to New Zealand in 2010, and has been fighting extradition since local police, at the behest of the FBI, raided his Auckland mansion in 2012 over charges of racketeering, money laundering, and copyright infringement. The Department of Justice shut down Megaupload that same year.

Dotcom, who has spent the last several years pushing various conspiracy theories and digital disinformation, responded to the deportation ruling on X, saying “the obedient US colony in the South Pacific just decided to extradite me for what users uploaded to Megaupload, unsolicited.” Two former Megaupload officers, Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk, were handed 31 and 30-month prison sentences respectively last year after signing a plea deal to avoid extradition.

https://100percentfedup.com/new-zealand-justice-minister-says-kim-dotcom-be/