This seems highly irregular to me
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/us-government-seeks-keep-megaupload-750471On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice told a Virginia federal judge that Kim Dotcom and cohorts have no business challenging the seizure of an estimated $67 million in assets because the Megaupload founder is evading prosecution.
The government brought criminal charges against Dotcom in early 2012, but he's been holed up in New Zealand awaiting word on whether he'll be extradited. The government got antsy and this past July, brought a civil complaint for forfeiture in rem, a maneuver to firmly establish hold over money from bank accounts around the world, luxury cars, big televisions, watches, artwork and other property allegedly gained by Megaupload in the course of crimes.
Dotcom is fighting the seizures by questioning the government's basis for asserting a crime, saying that "there is no such crime as secondary criminal copyright infringement," as well as challenging how the seized assets are tied to the charges against Dotcom.
Justice is best served using criminal law in a case that's only possible because claims have been made of criminal illegality , are the justice dept's claims really so weak they don't have enough evidence to convince a criminal court and have instead opted to go for a court environment that offers a substantial lowering of the bar of proof for their claims, it seems highly likely. in this case given this move.
