Kim Dotcom's once lavish lifestyle is but a distant memory. During a recent teleconference at London's unBound Digital event, the Megaupload founder revealed that his legal team recently resigned because he ran out of money. Dotcom said he spent $10 million defending himself and without lawyers, he is defenseless.
Nearly three years ago, local authorities in cooperation with the US government raided Dotcom's New Zealand mansion. Dotcom and several Megaupload executives were arrested as authorities described the filesharing service as an international organized criminal enterprise allegedly responsible for massive worldwide online piracy.
Authorities reportedly seized nearly two dozen vehicles including a Lamborghini and a Rolls Royce. In all, more than $40 million in belongings were confiscated.
Dotcom has proclaimed his innocence since day one and has been fighting extradition to the US to face piracy charges. The extradition hearing is scheduled for early 2015 although the German national could face jail time much sooner for allegedly breaking conditions set in his bail.
Dotcom launched Megaupload in 2005 and within just a few years, it had become one of the most popular filesharing destinations on the Internet. At its peak, the site accounted for more than four percent of all Internet traffic with 50 million unique visitors stopping by daily.
Users reportedly stored all sorts of content in the digital locker, from personal photos and videos to pirated films, the latter of which is what landed Dotcom in so much trouble.