Kim Dotcom Just Went from Broke to $80K a Month Thanks to a Hong Kong Judge
A Hong Kong judge has come to the rescue of Kim Dotcom, the accused internet pirate and founder of Megaupload.
With Dotcom running low on cash and his ability to pay his legal fees in doubt, Hong Kong's High Court granted him access to some of his money there, according to the South China Morning Post. Wilson Chan Ka-shun, the Hong Kong judge who issued the ruling, has allowed Dotcom to receive a monthly amount equivalent to $80,000 New ZeaIand dollars ($53,000 USD) to pay living and legal expenses, the Post reported.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is unlikely to be happy with the decision. In 2012, the DOJ indicted Dotcom and six other Megaupload managers for criminal copyright violation and related charges. Among the prosecution's claims were that the men generated $175 million from their cloud-storage service by encouraging and enabling users to illegally swap digital movie and music files. A DOJ spokesman declined to comment.
