Adalberto ROQUE / AFP / Getty
John McAfee—the antivirus tycoon whose eccentric and often illegal antics on yachts and in tropical rain forests came to define him in later years—took his own life in a Spanish prison cell shortly after suffering a major defeat in his fight against extradition to the US. He was 75.
The death was first reported by El Pais and later by Reuters, and the Associated Press, all of which cited law enforcement sources in Barcelona. Multiple news agencies also reported McAfee’s death.
According to El Pais and the AP, prison personnel found McAfee hanging in his cell and provided emergency medical services but were unable to save his life.
The reports came hours after revelations surfaced that McAfee suffered a crushing defeat in his bid to avoid extradition to the US to face charges that that could carry decades in prison. Federal prosecutors filed one indictment in March and another in October. The first alleged a cryptocurrency pump-and-dump scheme and the latter tax evasion on millions of dollars in income.
McAfee was arrested in October at a Barcelona airport after an international manhunt finally closed in on him. He had been fighting extradition ever since. On Wednesday, Reuters reported that the extradition the US was seeking was approved by the high court in Spain. The decision signaled that he was likely to lose in his fight to evade US prosecutors.
