GeoHot Vacationing in South America, Lawyers Respond to Sony

Where on earth is George Hotz? In South America, on a trip he planned months before Sony cracked down on him for hacking the PlayStation 3, says one of Hotz’s lawyers. Ars Technica contacted Stewart Kellar, one of Hotz’s defenders, who called claims that Hotz fled the country to avoid his court case “absurd.”

Sony previously stated that Hotz had sabotaged evidence by tinkering with impounded hard drives and relocating outside the country while Sony was gathering evidence against him. Kellar mentioned that this was not the case and that Sony was attempting to take cheap shots at Hotz so that people would “assume the worst.” Regarding Hotz’s recent departure to South America, Kellar stated, “The notion that George has fled the country is absurd. George is in South America to see a friend, on a trip he planned before his lawsuit ever began. George has to make himself available 24/7 for this litigation, which has been quite demanding on him.”

Hotz addressed the situation on his blog, stating that he had already paid for the trip since November. He went on to say that the trip was not funded by the donations people had been making toward his case. He also confirmed what Kellar had said, agreeing that he had been in contact with his lawyers “almost every day.” Concerning whether or not Hotz plans to return to the US, he said, “I will be back, I hear it’s hard to come by the Xperia Play down here.”

I think Hotz is a loser who got himself into a big mess the moment he started sharing his PlayStation 3 hack, but I’m going to wait and see what the courts decide. Still, I hardly think now’s the time for Hotz to be acting smug and making comments about the Xperia Play. The guy is facing serious charges, and he should be at least a little worried.