First Circuit: Defendant's Death Vacates Conviction On Appeal

In a shocking twist, biotech CEO who compares himself to both Steve Jobs and Jesus Christ and claims his company's products cure paralysis and opioid addiction is convicted of fraud. In an even more shocking twist, he dies while his case is on appeal. So what happens to his conviction—and, more importantly, the more than $7.5 mil order of restitution? First Circuit: Vacated! The whole thing. We decline to follow the practice of several state courts—which merely dismiss such appeals as moot—and join every other federal court that hears direct criminal appeals (the 2nd-11th and D.C. Circuits, and the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces) in adopting the doctrine of "abatement ab initio." Indictment dismissed.