John McAfee dies of apparent suicide ahead of extradition to US

John McAfee, the man you most likely know as the founder of the popular antivirus software McAfee, was found dead in his prison cell in Barcelona, Spain, earlier today. According to prison officials, the death is believed to have been a suicide after a court in Spain ruled that McAfee could be extradited to the US to face charges of alleged tax evasion.

According to the Catalan Justice Department, prison officials discovered McAfee dead in his prison cell. An attempt to resuscitate the entrepreneur was not successful and officials report that all signs point toward the death being the result of suicide.

The death follows McAfee's arrest in Spain late last year over allegations that he took steps to evade paying taxes and avoided filing tax returns for years. The US Justice Department alleges that McAfee attempted to evade taxes despite raking in millions of dollars through a variety of initiatives, including selling the rights to his life story and speaking engagements.

The suicide took place only hours after Spain's high court said it would extradite McAfee to the US. Though the opportunity remained to appeal this decision, McAfee's lawyer told Reuters that McAfee couldn't handle spending more time in jail. McAfee had previously expressed concerns that a conviction in the US would result in spending his remaining years in jail.

In addition to an indictment in Tennessee over alleged tax evasion, McAfee also faced a fraud case in New York involving cryptocurrency. The tech entrepreneur was known for living a colorful life, including a recent stint spent living on a megayacht allegedly to avoid trial in the US, as well as several years spent living in Belize before dramatically fleeing from police.

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