# Kim Dotcom

Also known as: Kim Schmitz

Charged, Arrested

Public record reviewed to August 20, 2026

Index entry last updated August 21, 2026

_Alleged_ founder and controlling figure of Megaupload.

Every charge in this entry is an allegation. No conviction is recorded.

- Founder of Megaupload.
- Extradition to the US was contested for years in New Zealand courts.

Everything on this page comes from cited public sources.

This entry records 2 actions across 1 takedown, each traced to a cited source. At least one linked takedown was added in the extended pass and was not independently source verified. Where the record is silent, this page says so rather than filling the gap.

Legal summary

**Associated takedowns:** [Megaupload seizure](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/megaupload-seizure)

**Recorded role:** Founder and controlling figure of Megaupload

**Group segment:** Core operator

**Charging authority:** United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia

**Charging jurisdiction:** United States

**Case number:** Not published

**Latest recorded action:** Arrested, January 2012

**Nationality:** Germany

**Country of residence:** New Zealand

- [Associated takedowns](https://takedownindex.org/people/kim-dotcom)
- [Legal history](https://takedownindex.org/people/kim-dotcom/legal-history)
- [Charges](https://takedownindex.org/people/kim-dotcom/charges)
- [Sources](https://takedownindex.org/people/kim-dotcom/sources)

## Sources

Every claim on this person's pages traces to one of the entries below.

Official announcements come first, then the reporting that supports individual details.

1 source cited across 2 recorded actions

1. [1]
[Megaupload indictment and seizure announcement](https://takedownindex.org/sources/us-doj-usao-edva-megaupload-indictment-and-seizure-announcement)

US DOJ / USAO EDVA, January 19, 2012 Prosecutor release Source grade S2

Establishes the 18-domain seizure, the seven-defendant indictment, and coordinated New Zealand arrests.

No address recorded for this source. Publisher, title, and date are given so it can be retrieved from the publisher.

Coverage note. Nothing on this page rests on an uncited claim. Where a source is silent on an outcome, this entry leaves the outcome unstated rather than inferring one. At least one linked takedown was added in the extended pass and was not independently source verified.