John McAfee, the name behind McAfee antivirus software, was found dead by suicide in his jail cell near Barcelona on June 23. According to authorities, the incident took place hours after a Spanish court approved McAfee’s extradition to the United States where he would face tax charges which would render him imprisoned for decades.
The cryptocurrency promoter and tax opponent lived an eccentric life. He faced a slew of legal troubles, from Central America to the Caribbean. McAfee was found deceased at the Brians 2 penitentiary in northeastern Spain. As per a statement from the regional Catalan government, security staff tried to revive him, and the jail’s medical team eventually certified his death.
The statement added that even though a judicial delegation has arrived to investigate the cause of death, everything points to suicide. It didn’t identify McAfee by name but rather stated that the deceased was a 75-year-old American citizen awaiting extradition in the US.
On June 21, the Spanish National Court ruled in favor of extraditing the antivirus pioneer. In a hearing in early June, McAfee had defended himself by arguing that the charges pressed by the prosecutors in Tennessee were politically motivated. He also stated that if he were to return to the United States, he would have to spend the rest of his life imprisoned. On June 23, the court’s ruling was made public but open for appeal. The final order for extradition would also have to be approved by the Spanish Cabinet.
McAfee was arrested at Barcelona’s international airport in October last year and since then, had been imprisoned awaiting the ruling of the extradition proceedings. He was charged for tax evasion given that he didn’t report income from promoting cryptocurrencies, his consulting and speaking engagements, as well as selling the rights to his life story for a documentary.