Swizz Beatz may yet find himself a part of the federal case against the file-sharing website Megaupload, for which the producer was listed as a CEO, as Vulture points out.
Recently Megaupload filed a motion to dismiss the federal indictment, claiming the U.S. had no right to prosecute them Stateside since they are a foreign company with no offices or agents in America.
Prosecuting attorney Neil MacBride, however, claims otherwise, noting that the company has employed at least two CEOs in the U.S. – Swizz Beatz and David Robb – and that both represented Megaupload in person at the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
Back in January, when the site was raided and shut down, Swizz was listed as a CEO on the Megaupload website, though soon afterward the company's attorney, Ira Rothken, said the producer "was not involved in any meaningful way. He was negotiating to become the CEO, but it was never official."
Swizz was not listed in the initial indictment against Megaupload. The new filing noted that "through counsel [Swizz] has refused to cooperate with the government's investigation."
Recently, a New Zealand court ruled that the U.S. government's raid on Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom was illegal due to a poorly worded and unclear warrant. In August, Dotcom will sit trial to hear if he will be extradited to the United States. If found guilty in the States, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
