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| (Photo: ANP/ Daniel.Costa) |
Until
recently, only a handful of computer hackers knew Bram van der Kolk. Now the
29-year old Dutchman has gained notoriety as the head programmer for
MegaUpload.com. He was among those arrested in New Zealand when the FBI shut
down the website last month. The US is seeking his extradition on internet
piracy-related charges.
When news
of the raid on Megaupload's headquarters was announced on January 19, the
Netherlands was surprised to learn that a Dutchman was part of the hugely
successful enterprise. Just five years ago, Van der Kolk was still working from
a bedroom at his parents' home in the Dutch city of Zwolle. But before long, he
would be enjoying a lifestyle that few dare dream of.
Lavish life
With 2.5
percent of the shares in Megaupload, his earnings in 2010 alone exceeded 2
million dollars, according to the FBI. His life in New Zealand centered around
the mansion [ see below for links], where he and his business partners worked,
ate and slept. There were expensive cars, private yachts, and frequent trips to
Hong Kong, the Philippines and Amsterdam.
Since 2009,
Van der Kolk has been married to Filipino sex symbol Asia Agcaoili, with whom
he has a two-year old son, according to several blogs. Amsterdam-based fashion
photographer Marcus Koppen, who recently did a photo shoot with Ms Agcaoili,
confirmed to Radio Netherlands that she cannot be reached now "because of
the trouble she and her husband are in." Ms Agcaoili's Dutch mobile
telephone number appears to be disconnected.
Van der
Kolk was released on bail by a New Zealand judge on Thursday. He is to remain
at an Auckland address and will be prevented from communicating with others
charged in the case. Under the conditions of Van der Kolk's bail, neither he
nor his wife have access to the internet.
Big
ambitions
While he
was still living a modest life in the Netherlands, Van der Kolk gained
experience building websites where users could download music for free. But he
befriended Kim Schmitz, alias Kim Dotcom, whose ambitions were far greater. The
two men and a small group of associates eventually carried out an ingenious
plan, setting up websites that made them a fortune.
According
to Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, Van der Kolk first got to know Kim Dotcom
thanks to their shared interest in the Gumball 3000 auto rally. It's an event
that's all about being seen, the paper writes, where millionaires speed across
the US and Europe in flashy sports cars. In 2004, rally enthusiast Van der Kolk
traveled to Paris to film the start and the video he produced caught the
attention of Kim Dotcom, who later won the event. The two started chatting and
stayed in touch.
Bonus
system
Quoting
chat messages found online, De Volkskrant describes how their friendship grew
into a business arrangement. And how Van der Kolk "vanished from the
radar" only to resurface a few years later at Kim Dotcom's mansion in New
Zealand. There, he was responsible for introducing a bonus system on
Megaupload.com that financially rewarded customers for downloading large
quantities of content. This, according to US prosecutors, is proof that the
company was aiding and abetting piracy.
When it was
still online, Megaupload had 180 million registered customers. The FBI
estimates that its daily visitors accounted for 4 percent of the total internet
data traffic worldwide. It was the 13th most popular website in existence.
According
to a federal grand jury indictment, Van der Kolk and 6 others netted more than
175 million dollars by facilitating the illegal downloading of copyrighted
films and music, as well as porn and other media content. US prosecutors want
to put all of those involved on trial for conspiring to commit racketeering and
money laundering, copyright infringement and other internet piracy-related
crimes.
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