Spain: renowned programmer John McAfee found dead in prison

Antivirus software developer, McAfee creator controversial John McAfee was found dead in a cell in Barcelona’s San Esteve Sesrovires prison.

The businessman’s body was found several hours after the announcement of the court’s decision on his extradition to the United States. There the programmer is accused of hiding real estate and tax evasion for several years. The preliminary verdict of experts after unsuccessful attempts to revive him is suicide. However, he twice warned of a possible death unrelated to sucide. Last year, on Twitter, for example, on October 15, he posted a message in which he denied intending to commit suicide and reported that he was satisfied with absolutely everything and was surrounded by friends:

“Know that if I hang myself like (Jeffrey) Epstein, it won’t be my fault.”

And in 2019, McAfee warned that if he was found dead, it would not be by suicide. According to The Sun, he posted a photo of the tattoo with the words “Whackd” (slang, from the English whacked – killed, also “quit the game”). In his post, he accused US officials of threatening him with “hidden messages”:

Got hints from US officials, essentially saying, “We’re coming after you, McAfee! We’re going to kill you.” I got a tattoo today just in case. If I committed suicide, I didn’t. I was killed. Check my right hand.

John McAfee was arrested in Spain last October when he was about to fly to Turkey. The US Department of Justice accused him of evading tax obligations and transferring his income to bank accounts and cryptocurrency exchange accounts in the names of candidates. The charges also concerned the concealment of assets – yachts and real estate – also registered under false names. A Spanish court authorized McAfee’s extradition to the United States on Wednesday morning for indictment.

The Gloucestershire, England-based entrepreneur first rose to prominence in the 1980s when he founded a technology company. McAfee has released the world’s first commercial anti-virus software. McAfee VirusScan has created a multi-billion dollar industry in the computing world. It was ultimately sold to Intel for over $ 7.6 billion.

A pioneer in computer security, McAfee once admitted to the BBC that he never used software on his computers:

“I protect myself by constantly changing my IP [IP-адрес]without tying my name to any device I use, and I don’t visit sites where you might get a virus. Porn sites, for example – I just don’t go there. “

In 2019, an entrepreneurial programmer expressed contempt for taxes, tweeting that he had not filed tax returns for 8 years because “taxing is illegal.”

He never fit into the mold of a tech entrepreneur – he was cocky, reckless, not shying away from another scandal. McAfee possessed foresight, but also excessive ardor. It was temperament that caused trouble throughout his life.

In recent years, a cryptocurrency enthusiast and charming speaker, a controversial figure in the high-tech world, McAfee was still great at making money. His latest clash with law enforcement came amid alleged tax evasion on recent earnings.

McAfee has repeatedly stated since his arrest that there was a conspiracy to arrest him. He argued that the charges against him were politically motivated and that if returned to the United States, he would spend the rest of his life in prison. However, a Spanish court, according to El Pais, said there was “no evidence” of his being persecuted for political or ideological reasons. McAfee’s lawyer Nishai Sanan said Wednesday that he intended to challenge all charges:

“This is again the US government trying to erase John McAfee. This man was a fighter. And in the minds of all who knew him, he will always be a fighter. “

However, McAfee is more known for his eccentricity lately. In August last year, he was detained and later arrested at a Norwegian airport because of the lingerie he used as a protective mask against the coronavirus. And at the end of 2017, the scandalous entrepreneur promised to eat his genitals if the bitcoin rate does not reach a million dollars by the end of 2020.

Indeed, he will rightfully be remembered as an important figure in the development of technology in the 1980s and 1990s. But also as a rather controversial person, who at times, it seemed, deliberately chose the path of life leading to trouble.

…



Source link