After a Spanish court granted extradition, the founder of McAfee was discovered dead in prison
The jail administration in northern Catalonia confirmed John McAfee was discovered dead in his cell at the Brians 2 penitentiary near Barcelona, "presumably from suicide."
John McAfee, the founder of antivirus software, was discovered dead in his Spain jail cell on Wednesday, according to a prison official, only hours after a judge granted his extradition to the US, where he was wanted for tax evasion.
A spokesperson for the prison administration in northeastern Catalonia confirmed media reports that the 75-year-old was discovered dead in his cell at the Brians 2 jail near Barcelona "probably from suicide." She didn't say anything else.
Since being caught at Barcelona airport in October 2020, just as he was about to take a trip to Istanbul, McAfee has been detained in Spain.
Despite making millions from consultancy work, cryptocurrency, and selling the rights to his life narrative, he is accused of knowingly failing to submit tax returns between 2014 and 2018.
He might have faced up to 30 years in jail if convicted.
On Wednesday, Spain's National Court announced that his extradition to the United States had been granted.
The judgement may still be challenged, and the extradition would have required cabinet permission in Spain.
McAfee made more than 10 million euros ($12 million) in the four years in issue, according to a US extradition request submitted in November and cited in the judgement, but never filed a tax return.
"To hide his income and assets from the Internal Revenue Service, the defendant directed some of his income to be given to straw men and property to be deposited in their names," the complaint stated.
The ruling of a Spanish court only applied to offences committed between 2016 and 2018.
McAfee had become a self-styled crypto-currency master, claiming to make $2,000 per day, after amassing a fortune in the 1980s with antivirus software that still carries his name.
On Twitter, he has over a million followers.
On June 16, he tweeted that US officials suspected he possessed "cryptography that is hidden I hope I could" he stated.
"All of my assets have been confiscated. My pals vanished because they were afraid of being associated with me. I don't have anything. Despite this, I have no regrets."
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