Kim Dotcom, Pirate King

After renting an $18 million estate in the emerald hills of Coatesville, New Zealand, Kim Dotcom e-mailed his neighbors. The mastermind of Megaupload, one of the world’s most popular file-sharing sites, introduced himself as a convicted computer hacker and insider trader and listed some of the perks of having a “criminal” down the block. “Our newly opened local money laundering facility can help you with your tax fraud optimization,” Dotcom wrote in the Apr. 21, 2010, e-mail. “Our network of international insiders can provide you with valuable stock tips.” Also, Dotcom wrote, his acquaintance with “far worse” crooks “can help you whenever you have to deal with a nasty Neighbor.” Then he added “in all seriousness” that he and his family loved New Zealand and had “come in peace.” He invited the neighbors to stop by for coffee, adding, “Don’t forget to bring the cocaine (joke).”

At around the same time, the U.S. Justice Dept., acting on a complaint by the Motion Picture Association of America, had begun an investigation of whether Megaupload had profited from the illegal distribution of copyrighted films, songs, and other digital material. U.S. authorities worked on the case for close to two years with counterparts in New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Canada, Britain, the Netherlands, and the Philippines.