Financier Irwin Jacobs Shuts Down Web Site

Financier Irwin Jacobs has shut down https://www.irwinljacobs.com, the Web site he used to defend three controversial public companies in which he was a large shareholder.

Jacobs used his site to defend the companies against criticism by short sellers, who seek to profit from a decline in a stock by selling borrowed shares, hoping to replace them with stock purchased at lower prices.

Shares of the three Jacobs-affiliated companies have plunged this year: Clarent (CLRN) by 53%, AremisSoft (AREM) by 96% and Conseco (CNC) by 36%.

The site was closed on Friday, said Ryan Hanson, a Web site developer for Jacobs Interactive, the Jacobs-owned company in Minneapolis that operates sites for a dozen companies controlled by the financier.

Jacobs was unavailable for comment.