From software pioneer to fugitive: Who was John McAfee
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British-born software pioneer John McAfee was reportedly found dead in his prison cell in Spain on Wednesday just hours after the country’s National Court agreed to extradite him to the US to face tax evasion charges.
In a statement, the Spanish Justice Department said “everything indicates” that McAfee, who was 75, took his own life, Reuters reported.
While McAfee first rose to prominence by releasing the first commercial anti-virus computer software, igniting what would become a multi-billion dollar industry, his final years were mired in controversy.
In October of last year, the tycoon was arrested in Spain and accused of failing to file tax returns for at least four years, despite having made millions.
The US Justice Department accused Mr McAfee of evading tax liability by having money paid into a number of different accounts.
He was also reportedly accused of concealing assets, including real estate and a yacht.
Who was McAfee?
Born in Gloucestershire, England, McAfee first launched his software company McAfee Associates back in 1987.
He headed the company until 1994 before resigning amid the company’s early success.
Years later, the company was purchased by Intel in 2011, but it maintained McAfee’s name, which is still emblazoned on McAfee anti-virus software.
McAfee would go on to found a string of companies after leaving his company, including Tribal Voice, QuorumEx and Future Tense Central.
He has also held leadership roles in a number of other companies, including MGT Capital, Everykey and others.
Years mired in controversy
In the years before his indictment, McAfee had faced repeated controversies.
In 2012, he was at the centre of international attention after Belize police named him as a “person of interest” following the death of his neighbour, Florida businessman Gregory Faull.
The magnate had denied any involvement in his death.
In 2019, he was detained in the Dominican Republic, where he was accused of bringing weapons into the country, according to the BBC.
That same year, he had also announced outright on Twitter that he had not filed tax returns for eight years, because, he said, “taxation is illegal”.
Political ambitions
Despite facing repeated controversies, McAfee continued to pursue his ambitions, even seeking out the highest position in the United States twice over.
The software tycoon unsuccessfully pursued the Libertarian Party nomination to run for President of the United States in both 2016 and 2020.
McAfee had announced in September 2015 that he would be running for president in the 2016 election as the candidate of a new political party called the Cyber Party.
He later re-announced his election bid asserting that he planned to instead seek the nomination of the Libertarian Party.
He lost that bid, however, but tried again in the following election, announcing in June 2018 on Twitter that he would be running for president again in 2020, whether with the Libertarian Party or another.
The tycoon ended up joining the race as a Libertarian, with a key part of his platform being to promote the use of cryptocurrencies.
In January 2019, McAfee tweeted that he would have to continue his campaign in “exile” after reports that he and his wife, along with campaign staff members, were being indicted by the IRS for tax-related felonies.
In March, 2020, he tweeted that he was ending his 2020 campaign, before announcing plans to seek the vice presidential nomination instead.
However, after asserting that “no one in the Libertarian Party” would consider him for VP, he said he was returning to the presidential race, before changing course again the next month and announcing that he had become Adam Kokesh’s vice-presidential candidate while also continuing his bid for the presidency.
Ultimately, he was not nominated, losing to Jo Jorgensen and Spike Cohen for the vice-presidential nomination.
McAfee feared ‘life in prison’
In the days before his death, McAfee had told a Spanish court that he feared being faced with “a life in prison” if he was forced to return to the US.
Addressing Spain’s National Court on 15 June via videolink, he said: “If I am extradited, it is almost certain that I will spend the rest of my life in prison because the United States wants to use me as an example,” according Spanish news outlet Europa Press.
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