John McAfee, the eccentric founder of McAfee antivirus software, was found dead in his jail cell near Barcelona in an apparent suicide, hours after a Spanish court approved his extradition to the United States to face tax charges that could have resulted in decades in prison.
Reuters reported that McAfee’s lawyer in Spain told them that his client apparently hanged himself.
Spanish newspaper El Mundo, citing the Catalan Justice Department, reported that the prison’s medical professionals attempted to resuscitate the 75-year-old.
“Confirmation has come from our legal team in Spain that John was found dead in his jail cell,” said Nishay Sanan, McAfee’s lawyer in Chicago. “I am saddened to hear of the events and my prayers go out to his wife Janice.
“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.”
McAfee was arrested last October at the international airport in Barcelona on the tax evasion charges, which are pending in federal court in Tennessee, and which carry a maximum possible sentence of 30 years in prison.
On October 15 last year, McAfee had tweeted from the jail: “I am content in here. I have friends. The food is good. All is well.
“Know that if I hang myself, a la (Jeffrey) Epstein, it will be no fault of mine.”
Chipmaker Intel bought McAfee’s company in 2011 for $7.68 billion.
Jaime Le, a McAfee company spokesperson, said in a statement: “Although John McAfee founded the company, he has not been associated with our company in any capacity for over 25 years. That said, our thoughts go to his family and those close to him.”
In a 2015 interview with WBBJ-TV, McAfee said he only felt comfortable when armed. The TV station reported that he chose to be interviewed with a loaded gun in each hand.
In 2019, a Florida court ordered McAfee to pay $25 million to Gregory Viant Faull’s estate in a wrongful death claim. In July that year he was released from detention in the Dominican Republic after he and five others were suspected of traveling on a yacht carrying high-caliber weapons, ammunitions, and military-style gear.
In one of his last media interviews, he told The Independent last November that his prison experience in Spain was a “fascinating adventure” and he planned never to return to the US.
