Acquitted of Fraud, Mike Lynch Was Elated but 'Struggling to Accept' New Reality Before Yacht Sinking, Reporter Says

Mar. 15, 2025

Mike Lynch in London, U.K., on Thursday, April 25, 2013.Photo:Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty

Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty

British tech entrepreneurMike Lynch, who wasacquittedon fraud and conspiracy charges just two months before he went missing after asuperyacht sank off the coast of Sicily, was experiencing a range of emotions after the end of his lengthy legal saga, according to a journalist who spoke with Lynch about the matter.

Although he was “obviously incredibly grateful and happy,” after his sudden change in fortune, the businessman was also still “struggling to accept” his new reality, Danny Fortson — who interviewed Lynch after his acquittal for theThe Sunday Times— tells PEOPLE.

Back in 2018, federal prosecutors in California indicted Lynch on several counts of securities fraud and conspiracy, per theAssociated Pressand theBBC. The indictment related to his 2011 sale of Autonomy, the business software company he founded, which was sold for $11 billion to Hewlett Packard, per the AP.

However, the trial didn’t begin until 2024 because Lynch fought extradition to the United States for years following his indictment, reported the BBC. In June, Lynch was acquitted on all 15 counts.

In an interview published on July 27, Lynch spoke with Fortson about the verdict, saying it felt like he had been given a “second life.”

Mike Lynch in London, U.K., on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010.Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty

Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty

But, speaking with PEOPLE on Tuesday, Aug. 20, Fortson says that when they spoke, he felt that Lynch was also still “in shock.”

Fortson notes that Lynch was originally facing over a dozen charges that could have sentenced him to 25 years in prison. “Given his age and some health issues, he was very clear that he would probably die in prison in America," says the journalist.

And for the past decade, Fortson says that Lynch “lived much of his life…under this kind of cloud." Then, thanks to a verdict, everything changed in the blink of an eye.

“He was just really struggling to grapple with that,” the journalist shares. “He was hugely excited and very thankful, but also just this case had been going on, or the allegations had been going on for more than a decade.”

A life boat is docked in Porticello near Palermo, on August 20, 2024 a day after the British-flagged luxury yacht Bayesian sank.ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images

ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images

Ahead of Fortson’s conversation with PEOPLE,The Sunday Timescorrespondent shared a post onX (formerly known as Twitter)reacting to the news that Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter were missing.

“The terrible irony is that when we sat down last month, he made it clear that he felt he had won a new lease on life,’ ” he wrote.

AttorneyChristopher Morvillo,represented Lynchin the fraud case, his wife Neda, as well as Morgan Stanley International chairmanJonathan Bloomer and his wife Judyare also missing.

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A source close to the survivors confirmed to PEOPLE thatLynch was celebrating his acquittal when the yacht went downearly on the morning of Aug. 19.

Since the incident, one person, identified as a cook from the boat, was found dead near the yacht. Additionally, 15 people have been rescued, including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares.

On Tuesday, Aug. 20, local sources told PEOPLE that many of the investigations believe that those missing arepresumed to be deceasedand trapped in the hold or in their cabins, although officials have not yet commented on that.

The search remains ongoing.

source: people.com