Feds seize $50 million in Megaupload assets, lodge new charges

The authorities said Friday they have seized $50 million in Megaupload-related assets and added additional charges in one of the United States' largest criminal copyright infringement prosecutions.

Megaupload, the popular file-sharing site, was shuttered last month and its top officials indicted by the Justice Department, just days after online protests scuttled a Congressional proposal to make changes to the internet to reduce online copyright infringement.

Seven individuals connected to the Hong Kong-based site were indicted on a variety of charges, including criminal copyright infringement and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Five of the members of what the authorities called a five-year-old "racketeering conspiracy" have been arrested in New Zealand, where they are being held pending extradition to the United States.