From Torrent Freak: Andrus Nomm, one of the seven Megaupload employees indicted by the United States, has been arrested. The U.S. authorities have yet to comment on the arrest of the programmer but Megaupload lawyer Ira Rothken believes that he may have cut a deal with the FBI. megaupload-logoActing on a lead from the entertainment industry, the U.S. Government shut down Megaupload early 2012. Since then the case hasn’t progressed much. Kim Dotcom’s extradition hearing has been delayed time and time again, while most of the recent court proceedings have dealt with how the seized assets should be handled. However, during the weeks to come the case is likely to heat up again as U.S. authorities have just arrested Andrus Nomm, one of the indicted Megaupload defendants. The 36-year-old programmer had been living in the Netherlands awaiting his extradition hearing, but was arrested in Alexandria, Virginia yesterday. The unusual arrest after more than three years could suggest that Nomm made a deal to testify against Dotcom and his former colleagues. That suspicion is confirmed by Megaupload lawyer Ira Rothken, who told the NZHerald that Nomm “either agreed to come to the US or is involved in some sort of deal.” In the indictment Nomm is described as a software programmer and Head of the Development of Megaupload’s Software Division. In 2010 he received $100,000 for his work at the now defunct file-hosting service. Nomm is also accused of watching at least one copy of a pirated TV-show. “On or about December 5, 2008, NOMM sent VAN DER KOLK an e-mail, which included a screenshot of NOMM’s account using Megavideo.com to watch an infringing episode of the copyrighted television show Chuck,” the indictment reads. Megaupload lawyer Ira Rothken believes that U.S. authorities might have taken of Nomm. As an Estonian citizen living in a foreign country he was vulnerable, and running out of funds. “Unless the DOJ is taking advantage of him and his weak financial condition, which is possible, it is hard to fathom which copyrighted works they think Mr. Nomm criminally infringed,” Rothken tells TF. If Mr. Nomm testifies truthfully including things like the Megaupload copyright neutral cloud technology and robust takedown policies it will likely help the defense,” he adds. The U.S. authorities have yet to comment on the arrest and the possibility of a plea deal.
hey, all audio lovers, they (doj plus the other involved agencies) quite possibly have searched for one of the weak links, then found it, presently in the person they have arrested. possible deal or not, this is how one of the dirtest, most easily corruptable justice systems does their so called work (might be my overly active imagination, but possible sums of money might also be involved, or at least one new identity, if everyting goes right successfully, against dot com). the whole thing might also serve as something to keep the case loudly in the news, in the public consciousness, as things about it became quite sleepy lately (three years already gone from the initial arrest theatre, new mega up, etc.), no one is able to know what precisely the real purpose is (except the role players, of course). what some great place to live on, is this world... all the best for all of us (pray do exclude all such nauseating happenstances)...
