Aaron Swartz Plea Deal Reportedly Rejected Days Before His Death

Aaron Swartz, the 26-year-old programmer and digital luminary who took his own life Friday, did so only days after his lawyers unsuccessfully attempted to strike a plea deal with prosecutors over a computer fraud case, according to a report. Swartz, whose trial was expected to begin in the spring, was facing a maximum sentence of 35 years in jail and up to $1 million in fines.

Swartz's lawyer, Elliot Peters, made the second of two attempts at striking a plea deal with Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Heymann as recently as last Wednesday, according to a Monday report from the Wall Street Journal. Peters told the Journal that no compromise was reached, as Heymann stuck to the government's…
Continue reading...

More About: Aaron-Swartz, US