Under the title "McAfee Founder Found 'Dead by Suicide' in Spanish Prison," Sputnik news reported that antivirus pioneer John McAfee was found dead in his prison cell in Spain on Wednesday shortly after the court approved his extradition to the United States, where he was wanted on charges of tax evasion. A spokesperson for the prison system in the northeastern region of Catalonia stated that the 75-year-old man was found dead in his cell at Brians 2 Prison near Barcelona "in what appears to be a suicide," according to Agence France-Presse.
A spokesperson for the Catalan branch of the legal authority that oversees Spanish courts confirmed that McAfee was found dead in his cell around 7:00 PM (1700 GMT) in what appears to be a suicide. It is noted that McAfee had been in detention in Spain since his arrest at Barcelona Airport in October 2020 while he was about to board a flight to Istanbul. He is alleged to have willfully failed to file tax returns from 2014 to 2018, despite earning millions of dollars from consulting work, cryptocurrencies, and selling the rights to his life story. McAfee could have faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
In a statement, the regional Ministry of Justice in Catalonia announced that an investigation had been opened after a 75-year-old prisoner facing extradition to the United States was found dead in his prison cell. The statement added that "guards and medical staff intervened immediately to perform resuscitation procedures, but doctors ultimately confirmed his death." According to the U.S. extradition request submitted in November and cited in the ruling, McAfee earned over 10 million euros (12 million dollars) between the years 2014 and 2018, but did not file a tax return.
