ARCHIVED - Antivirus tycoon John McAfee found dead in Spanish prison cell
The 75-year-old creator of the McAfee antivirus software was due to be extradited from Spain to the US to face tax-related charges.
Multimillionaire John McAfee, the creator of the McAfee antivirus software, was found dead in his cell at a jail near Barcelona on Wednesday, June 23.
The cause of his death is being investigated, though there are reports he committed suicide hours after a Spanish court approved the 75-year-old’s extradition to the United States to face tax evasion charges.
Catalan Brians 2 prison security personnel tried to revive McAfee, before his death was confirmed by the prison's medical team.
Prosecutors in the US state of Tennessee had charged the British-American tycoon with evading millions in taxes after allegedly failing to report income made from promoting cryptocurrencies while he carried out consultancy work between 2016 and 2018.
He was also charged with evading tax on earnings from speaking engagements and income in relation to selling the rights to his life story for a documentary.
McAfee was arrested at Barcelona's El Prat airport where he was planning to fly to Istanbul, Turkey, and provisionally jailed on October 4, 2020, by order of the Spanish National Court, the same court which approved his extradition.
A member of McAfee's legal team, Nishay K Sanan said: "John was and will always be remembered as a fighter. He tried to love this country but the US Government made his existence impossible. They tried to erase him, but they failed."
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