• John McAfee was found dead in his cell after he was charged with multiple instances of tax evasion.
• The Spanish court had approved the U.S.’ request for extradition.
• John McAfee was arrested at Barcelona airport as he was attempting to use a fake passport to fly to Turkey.
• The tech mogul sold his cybersecurity software to Microsoft for $100 million in 1994.

The Catalan Justice Department has reported that 75 year old tech mogul John McAfee was found dead in his prison cell in Spain following the sentence at his hearing. 

The department indicates an alleged suicide, as McAfee would have faced 30 years in prison if U.S. courts judged him guilty. According to reports, security personnel tried to revive him, but without success. The cause of death is under investigation.

Crypto Fits Like a Glove

Tech mogul turned crypto influencer John McAfee had been facing criminal tax charges in the state of Tennessee after failing to report his crypto earnings. Crypto influencers are a norm in the industry as projects use new marketing methods to reach their ideal customer base. McAfee was found dead in his prison cell after a court ruling approved his extradition to the United States.

McAfee’s extradition ruling was published on Wednesday, though the decision was not final, with McAfee having the ability to appeal the decision. Additionally, the final verdict would have been in the hands of the Spanish Cabinet, which would have had to approve the arrangement.

According to his Spanish lawyer, Javier Villalba, McAfee could no longer stand being “locked up,” which could have led to the fatal decision. McAfee had previously tweeted about his gloomy circumstances. Nishay Sanan, his Chicago lawyer, claims he will “always be remembered as a fighter.”

On the Flipside

• John McAfee was arrested multiple times prior, being released each time without conviction.
• McAfee disclosed to the Wire Magazine that his father was a heavy drinker and a “very unhappy man.” 
• McAfee lost much of his fortune in 2008 following the market crash, and shifted his focus to cryptocurrencies.
• McAfee was exposed for pumping cryptocurrencies in exchange for 25BTC.  

The McAfee Witch Hunt

U.S. prosecutors alleged that McAfee owed the state over $4 million in unpaid taxes, which the mogul was explicit, on his social media, about not desiring to pay. By contrast, Nishay Sanan declared that the government “tried to erase him” but failed. McAfee also claimed that he was arrested even though he “paid millions of dollars in taxes” and described the U.S.’ indictment proceedings as “politically motivated.”

McAfee had been arrested multiple times across the globe, following a string of strange events, emphasizing his will to not submit to governmental pressure. Despite that, McAfee lived an eccentric life, running for the U.S. presidency in 2016 and 2020, and converging onto “the crypto community” as perhaps his best remembered feats.

The First Bitcoin Evangelist

McAfee made headlines in 2017 after continuously preaching about the value of Bitcoin, claiming it would reach $1 million by 2020, even making an unusual bet for the occasion that it came true. While the prophecy did not come to pass, McAfee has chosen to live off the grid, or more specifically, to live on his ‘Freedom Boat‘ as he fled U.S. authorities.

McAfee staunchly maintained his views on an as-yet-developing cryptosphere, with politicians, regulators, and banks pulling in every direction. Unlike the now-infamous Elon Musk, who has been accused of manipulating the price of Bitcoin to his own advantage, McAfee has always venerated Bitcoin, making bullish claims about its place in society.