Two make deal, leaving just Kim Dotcom facing US extradition

Dotcom, second left, stands with Bram Van der Kolk, left, Mathias Ortmann and Finn Batato, right, outside the High Court in Auckland, New Zealand, on Aug 9, 2012. Ortmann and van der Kolk, charged by US prosecutors with racketeering for their involvement in the once wildly popular file-sharing website Megaupload, said Tuesday, May 10, 2022, that they have reached a deal to avoid extradition to the US and will instead face charges in New Zealand, where they live. — AP

WELLINGTON, New Zealand: Two men charged by US prosecutors with racketeering and other crimes for their involvement in the once wildly popular file-sharing website Megaupload said Tuesday they have reached a deal that will see them avoid being extradited to the US in exchange for facing charges in New Zealand.

The deal by former Megaupload officers Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk means that only Megaupload’s flamboyant founder Kim Dotcom, who also lives in New Zealand, still faces the possibility of extradition to the US in the long-running case.