McAfee founder found dead by suicide in Spanish jail

Antivirus software pioneer John McAfee was found dead in his jail cell in Spain on Wednesday, officials said, shortly after a court approved his extradition to the United States where he was wanted for tax evasion. McAfee has been in jail in Spain since he was arrested at Barcelona airport in October 2020, just as he was about to board a flight to Istanbul. Known for his eccentric behaviour, McAfee, 75, introduced his eponymous program in the 1980s. He had been indicted in Tennessee on tax evasion charges. He also was charged in a cryptocurrency fraud case in New York.

McAfee, who sold his software company to Intel in 2011 and no longer had any involvement in the business, lived a colourful life. He said in 2019 that he had not paid US income taxes for eight years for ideological reasons. That year, he left the United States to avoid trial, largely living on a mega yacht with his wife, four large dogs, two security guards and seven staff.He offered to help Cuba avoid a US trade embargo using cryptocurrency and sought to run for US president for the Libertarian Party. McAfee, who said in 2018 that he had fathered at least 47 children, lived in Belize for several years. He fled after police sought him for questioning in the 2012 murder of a neighbour. He had a million followers on Twitter. According to the US extradition request filed in November and quoted in the ruling, McAfee earned more than 10 million euros ($12 million) in 2014-18, but never filed a tax return.