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Kim Dotcom Raid - What Really Happened

Posted by samzenpus on from the super-serious dept.

chill writes "People have been discussing the raid on the Dotcom mansion for months, but now more details and video footage of that morning have begun to emerge from the trial. From the article: 'At 6.46am on January 20, the raid was underway. The helicopter carrying members of the elite special tactics group flew into the Coatesville home of Dotcom. "Ground units, Gates are open," someone says into the radio. Dotcom's pregnant wife their three children, some guests and about a dozen staff were also there. All is quiet below. Within seconds four armed members of the special tactics group ran towards the main door. The helicopter immediately took off. The main justification for using it at all was that Dotcom's security staff could have stopped police vehicles at the gates. But as the chopper flew out, ground forces were already arriving just seconds behind.'"

21 of 285 comments (clear)

  1. They Didn't Pull This Kind of Muscle by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 5, Interesting

    On Bernie Madoff.

    But who really robbed people for tens of millions?

    --
    "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
    Never been known to fail..."
    1. Re:They Didn't Pull This Kind of Muscle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Clearly you lack reading comprehension skills. Kim Dotcom was already charged, convicted, and punished of crimes. There is no need to punish someone again. Furthermore it is standard practice for people that have this kind of mansion to go to an emergency room whenever anything odd is afoot. He realized it was the police, kept the door unlocked and waited for them to come to him so he wouldn't be shot.

      He had no option to surrender himself to police because he was not sent a polite letter like Madoff. Dotcom was punched in the face and handcuffed all while FBI agents from the US were watching.

    2. Re:They Didn't Pull This Kind of Muscle by Mitreya · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You're right, Dotcom only robbed people of millions, not tens of millions - insider trading and embezzlement

      Of course that may be true, but it is also completely irrelevant. According to wikipedia : "Dotcom also pleaded guilty to embezzlement in November 2003 and received a two-year probation sentence."
      I find it amazing that the most common reaction is -- "yes, what happened would have been normally wrong/unlawful, but since Dotcom is a sleazebag, then it's ok. He had it coming." Laws should be applied the same way regardless of how much of an asshole the particular person happens to be.

    3. Re:They Didn't Pull This Kind of Muscle by thelexx · · Score: 5, Informative

      Corzine. Hundreds of millions in 'segregated' funds. Currently enjoying new multi-million dollar offices on Wall St.

      --
      "Gold still represents the ultimate form of payment in the world." - Alan Greenspan, 1999
    4. Re:They Didn't Pull This Kind of Muscle by rtb61 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      He stole from no one, the court case to date is starting to show that. He barricaded himself after unknown armed assailants attacked the property. Consider this, does a kidnapper only need to use the magic word 'police' for a person to surrender themselves to an unknown fate or is more substantial identification required.

      Two policeman gainded admittance to the property the day before and could have quite easily arrested him. The reality here, is it was a show, forced upon New Zealand by the US government at the behest of the RIAA/MPAA, with possible lethal consequences, a straight up corruption of legal practices in two countries, that can pretty well be laid right at the feet of Barack 'The Betrayer' Obama.

      This distortion of the law to create a big show as a threat to others pretty well destroyed the case ie greed driven stupidity.

      The biggest crime of the last decades, lobbyists, they have robbed people of billions even trillions in the corruption of democracy and the resultant psychopathic distortions in economy. Right now every lobbyists practice should be subject to that kind of raid.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    5. Re:They Didn't Pull This Kind of Muscle by amiga3D · · Score: 5, Insightful

      President Obama is not a betrayer. He is an honest politician. An honest politician is one who once bought, stays bought. He performed at the behest of his backers. Strangely enough, the people that back him also back his opposition. Issues like abortion, gay rights, civil rights and other push button issues that get people screaming names at each other and waving signs are only positions to politicians. These emotion charged issues are used to divide the people so that they don't notice their government being purchased right in front of their noses. The irony is that one trip to opensecrets.org will show you who owns your favorite candidate but people naively think that their candidate actually cares about them and their interests.

    6. Re:They Didn't Pull This Kind of Muscle by cpu6502 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Not RIAA. Universal Records.
      They were the ones who demanded youtube remove Megaupload's ad/music video (and also Tech News Daily which included a 15-second clip of the ad). They were the ones who became upset when a judge ruled, "You can't claim ownership of somebody else's ad, or the artists that participated." They were probably the ones who called the Obama White House and demanded action, so the White House ordered the raids in foreign countries.

      Welcome to facism (aka "corporatism" according to Benito Mussolini). The government ignores the law, ignores the court orders, and just does whatever it takes to keep its corporate friends happy.

      --
      My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
    7. Re:They Didn't Pull This Kind of Muscle by interval1066 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The difference here: if I recall correctly, Madoff was arrested by a couple (or at the most 5 or 6) lightly armed FTC investigators and FBI agents wearing ties. Madoff's crime: investor fruad in which he bilked hundreds of people directly out of $50 billion in a 20 year operation that had the respect of many wall street "experts" before he was caught. Wasn't he called the "darling" of wall st. or some shit? Dotcom: arrested by over 30 heavily armed New Zealand peace officers in armour using paramility tactics. Dotcom's crime: he sold advertising on a website that stored files placed there by users.

      I for one have a problem with this.

      --
      Python: 'And then suddenly you have a language which says "we're all stuck with whatever the whiniest coder wants".'
    8. Re:They Didn't Pull This Kind of Muscle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Nowadays in very many cases if you wipe out much of someone's life savings, you're reducing that person's life expectancy.

      Think about it, say you're retired and you have 30% of your savings in this supposedly great fund. And suddenly it's gone. Then another bunch in wall street wipe out another 40% (and still keep their bonuses). What are you going to do? How are you going to find a decent job if nobody wants to hire old people? It's not like you're as energetic as before.

      The other thieves are those who are holding 120 year monopolies on stuff that should have entered the public domain by now.

      As for megaupload, sure some of the stuff they are doing is dubious, but so what? Why not shutdown Monsanto if you don't like dubious?

    9. Re:They Didn't Pull This Kind of Muscle by ppanon · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Apparently, a bunch of the seed capital for Bain capital came from families that either directly and/or through ARENA, the El Salvador right wing political party, supported the death squads in that country in the 80's. So saying he doesn't care for the little guy is understating it. He was handling the money of people who had the little guys shot and killed in the middle of the night.

      --
      Laissez lire, et laissez danser; ces deux amusements ne feront jamais de mal au monde. - Voltaire
    10. Re:They Didn't Pull This Kind of Muscle by ccguy · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Blame myself for placing all the eggs in one basket and thinking that a investment fund cannot go bust. Don't you have Past performance is not guarantee of future results. standard disclaimer over there?

      Are you kidding me? That disclaimer doesn't say anything like "having honest management in the past is not guarantee of future management".

    11. Re:They Didn't Pull This Kind of Muscle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      The AC to whom you replied pointed out that Kim Dotcom had a collection of guns, he liked to show them off, and this is unusual in NZ. That is all true. If you have a gun collection in NZ, you're out there.

      No, he didn't. Certainly not on the Coatesville property anyway. The only firearm was in a locked gunsafe, and was owned by the bodyguard.

      Add to the fact the guy had a head of security. This is New Zealand, a sleepy, bucolic country of four million people and 70 million sheep. The Mongrel Mob has security; business men do not.

      Actually, business men worth a lot of money in New Zealand DO have heads of security. Graeme Hart for example has a fairly large number of full time guards and also a very well paid head of security. It's not unusual at all.

      You comment he was waiting for the police, but neglect to mention the fact he was waiting for them with a shotgun in his hands.

      Where are you getting your information from? The media said something ridiculous like this on the day of the raid, but retracted it because it's entirely incorrect. As I stated, the gun was in a gunsafe as per NZ law.

      The gun was however found to be illegal due to the fact it had a stock removed and a pistol grip, and the bodyguard and head of security Wayne is being charged for that.

  2. NZ Perspective by Seriousity · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As a New Zealander, I'm frankly outraged that the US has this kind of influence down here. It's about to get a LOT worse as the Trans-Pacific Partnership gets finished off and pushed through... Most people won't have even heard of it until the deal is done. Dodgy, dodgy secret deals with US corporations, and my country stands to gain absolutely nothing but the unjust legislative offspring off the MAFIAA.

    --
    This post was made in complete sincere seriousity; as such any attempts to derive humour are doomed to instant failure.
  3. Dog & Pony show by CuriousGeorge113 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This whole thing is just a huge dog & pony show by Hollywood and the FBI. Its the exact same tactics they use when they catch someone downloading illegal content.

    Early on, they made a huge "example" out of the first offenders. Huge fines, drag them into court, media everywhere, blah blah blah. Now, the majority of the cases settle for a few thousand bucks and everyone moves on.

    Well, this is their first hosting provider that they (HollywoodFBI) have gone after, and they want to put on a big show so that everyone else knows they mean business. They'll bring in helicopters & troops & go after your kids and pregnant wife if you don't play by their rules.

    --
    No man is an island, But if you take a bunch of dead guys and tie them together, they make a pretty good raft.
  4. Re:Several reasons come to mind... by stms · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Watch the video the servers were seized before the raid occurred. There was little evidence Kim had access to to destroy at the time of the raid.

  5. Re:Several reasons come to mind... by MrBigInThePants · · Score: 5, Insightful

    All very valid and totally justified reasons...if you live in a police state.

    NZers are generally shocked and totally disgusted with their police force over this. Especially the co-towing to the US authorities part.

    Given the current right-wing government's stance on doing whatever the US or its corporate owners say it is not surprising...

    Ref:
    - Changing employment law for the hobbit movie
    - Signing up to ACTA despite it being bad for NZ
    - 3 strikes law
    - General foreign policy
    - Our special forces in Afganistan

  6. Re:Nothing of interest ever happens here in NZ. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's not too far from Australia. Australia is the place full of dust, dangerous creepy-crawlies, passed-out drunk men, and aged, leathery women with voices capable of shattering crystal. On second thoughts, New Zealand is in fact not far enough away from Australia.

  7. Raid was deemed illegal back in June by Lieutenant_Dan · · Score: 5, Informative

    Can't believe I just spent 10 mins reading this guy's wikipedia entry yet this is the most important piece:
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jun/28/kim-dotcom-judge-raid-illegal

    It's clear that the FBI acting on behalf of the MPAA/RIAA had an overzealous NZ police force keen to impress.

    The really interesting item for me was how UMG submitted an invalid takedown notice on a video on Youtube on baseless grounds. I'm surprised that some of the artists didn 't sue the record company.

    --
    Wearing pants should always be optional.
  8. Yet another ignorant Dittohead. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Heh. Yeah, if there's one group that stands their ground against entities with deep pockets, it's the Republicans.

    1. Re:Yet another ignorant Dittohead. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      What could be more annoying and less productive than drawing minor distinctions as boundaries, separating two parties that are obviously a single party with the same goal in mind. Notice we face the same problems and only accumulate more, election by election? Taxes don't go down, they go up, liberty doesn't flourish, it wanes. They point fingers at each other and point out small differences in values over minor problems, but they have both ruled the U.S. as a single party for more than a century. They've replaced the SCOTUS with their drones who even now reinterpret the constitution for their own immoral purposes. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/pagedetails.action?granuleId=&packageId=GPO-CONAN-2002
      Now we have a nation of drones, bolstering each others belief that they have been electing represenatives of their interests instead of being suckered into keeping a ruling class of criminals in office to utilize the people as livestock.
      Who's a dittohead now buddy?

  9. It helps to be a friend of the U.S. President ... by drnb · · Score: 5, Informative

    Corzine. Hundreds of millions in 'segregated' funds. Currently enjoying new multi-million dollar offices on Wall St.

    It helps to be a friend of the President of the United States and a leading member of the Democratic party.

    “Jon Corzine one of the best colleagues I had in the Senate and one of the best partners I have in the White House.”
    President Barack Obama, Oct 21, 2009.