British entrepreneur Mike Lynch has been cleared of fraud charges by a jury in a court in San Francisco on Thursday, avoiding the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence. The once-celebrated co-founder of software company Autonomy was acquitted of all criminal charges, ending a 12-year legal saga accusing him of wire fraud and conspiracy.
He described the case as a “routine business dispute” that had been blown wildly out of proportion. The objective of the defense, says Zachary Terwilliger, a former US prosecutor and partner at law firm Vinson & Elkins, was to “humanize” Lynch. “As a defense attorney, you want to make your client relatable to the jury, even if they are a millionaire,” he says. The government, meanwhile, was aiming to “beat back the defense narrative: This isn’t some folksy guy named Mike, this is Dr. Lynch.