The creator of McAfee antivirus software, John McAfee, was found dead in a Spanish jail cell earlier today, just as the U.S. government called for his extradition. Several local news outlets have confirmed McAfee's death which officials are saying was caused by apparent suicide. On Wednesday morning, hours before he was pronounced dead, the Spanish High Court came to an agreement with the U.S. government to extradite him back to America where he's facing federal tax charges.
Police are still investigating McAfee's death but justice department officials have already suggested that "everything points to suicide." Another newspaper also described McAfee's death as a suicide.
McAfee's legal problems began mounting in October 2020 when he was hit with a 10-count indictment in Tennessee that accused him of evading millions of dollars worth of income tax. He's been held in custody in Spain since the indictment was handed down.
The indictment in Tennessee claims that McAfee had made millions of dollars off of public speaking bookings, the sale of his personal story for the purpose of a documentary, and consulting work. From 2014 to 2018, he had allegedly paid 0 in taxes.
He was also facing charges in Manhattan over a pump and dump cryptocurrency scheme that he's alleged to have finessed a total of $13M out of.
We'll keep you posted on any more updates regarding McAfee's death.