Man charged with Microsoft fraud dies

A former Microsoft manager facing federal fraud charges for allegedly stealing more than $9 million in company software died unexpectedly Friday at a Bellevue hospital while out on bail.

The circumstances surrounding the death of Daniel Feussner, 32, a German-born computer expert who held a Ph.D. in computer linguistics and mathematics, remained under investigation yesterday.

The cause of Feussner's death is unknown until further tests, including toxicology examinations, are conducted, the King County Medical Examiner's staff said yesterday.

Feussner's attorney, Michael Martin of Seattle, said in a statement that Feussner "suffered multiple organ failure" at Overlake Hospital Medical Center, but he declined to elaborate, citing family privacy.

A spokeswoman for Overlake Hospital said the hospital could not confirm that Feussner was ever a patient because of confidentiality rules involving drug, alcohol or mental-illness cases.

His legal troubles aside, Feussner was "an absolutely wonderful, charitable human being who will be dearly missed by a lot of people," Martin said.

In December, Feussner put his Sammamish home up as bond to go free while he faced charges that he obtained expensive Microsoft software through internal-purchasing systems and sold it on the street. He allegedly used the profits to buy a collection of fancy cars, a yacht and expensive jewelry, according to court documents.

Before he was arrested and fired, Feussner had headed Microsoft's search-engine technologies.

He was charged by complaint with 15 counts of wire, mail and computer fraud, which could have cost him up to 20 years behind bars. While on bail, he was ordered to wear an electronic home-detention bracelet.

As soon as Feussner's death certificate is forwarded to federal prosecutors, the case will be closed, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Hugh Berry. "It certainly is terrible," Berry said. "It's a sad situation."

Similarly, Microsoft officials said they wouldn't belabor the allegations.

"We are very saddened by this news, and our hearts go out to Daniel's family and friends," said Stacy Drake, a Microsoft spokeswoman.

Martin said Feussner's family would prefer to remember a devoted husband with a brilliant mind and a sharp sense of humor who made major contributions to search-engine technology.

"He was very, very bright and he had a lot going for him," Martin said.

Ian Ith: 206-464-2109 or iith@seattletimes.com