John McAfee dead: Antivirus tycoon found lifeless in prison after court OKs extradition
- Reference: 1624477964
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/06/23/john_mcafee_dead/
- Source link:
Spain’s high court – the Audiencia Nacional – had just hours earlier [1]agreed to his extradition to America to stand trial for [2]alleged tax evasion.
The 75-year-old, British-born former antivirus baron, who founded McAfee Associates in the late 1980s and made his millions before more or less [3]retiring in the mid-1990s, was being held at a prison in Sant Esteve Sesrovires following his arrest at Barcelona airport in October 2020.
[4]
Prosecutors are investigating his death, and believe at this stage it was suicide, Spanish newspaper El Pais [5]reported . Officials [6]confirmed to Reuters the infosec world's [7]wild man had been discovered lifeless in his cell.
[8]
This is a developing story. Stand by for updates
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[1] https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/06/23/software-magnate-john-mcafees-extradition-to-u-s-is-approved/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2020/10/06/john_mcafee_tax_evasion/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2017/07/06/mcafee_and_intel_settle_mcafee_lawsuit/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YNOu8CLOwrA8zyTFfa5GYAAAAMY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[5] https://elpais.com/economia/2021-06-23/el-fundador-del-antivirus-mcafee-john-mcafee-se-suicida-en-una-prision-de-barcelona.html?ssm=TW_CC
[6] https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/john-mcafee-found-dead-prison-after-spanish-court-allows-extradition-2021-06-23/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2013/05/08/john_mcafee_qanda/
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YNOu8CLOwrA8zyTFfa5GYAAAAMY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: I'll miss him
He was one of those individuals who are so full of life and energy that you never really expect them to be gone...until they are.
“Too weird to live, too rare to die!”
― Hunter S. Thompson
RIP
A sad, and a little bewildering, end to a rambunctious life.
He lived loud and a bit mad, but utterly prized his freedom. Perhaps a little too much, it seems.
Re: RIP
If only he had run for President he would never have been charged with tax evasion. Sad to see so many people from the early days of computers who spent their lives trying to get things fixed, moving on to the next realm but he has my best wishes.
Cheers John!
I never actually connected the dots re the anti virus and the crazy guy, but it finally dawned that they were one and the same fairly soon after, IIRC it was reading an article HERE on El Reg that the dots were aligned :o)
gone, will not be forgotten for quite some time
personally, I am of the belief that some people, if they didn't exist, would HAVE to be invented, I include the likes of Ollie Reed in there
R.I.P.
RIP
RIP to a real character.
Now the dig begins...
Always a controversial figure. I couldn't see him going to a US jail cell to rot. Something like this was always going to be on the cards, although I'd have thought that firearms and alcohol would have featured more prominently. Either way, his death is likely just the start. The US authorities are going to follow everything through and take apart all his friends and acquaintances in order to find the missing money.
At least he's at peace... although I'd likely bet that various other people are probably starting to get very worried....
Legends don't fade away...
Crazy guy, crazy life, but if you've been in tech over the decades you can't help but have been touched by the McAfee journey. His passing ages us all, RIP Sir.
One of God's own prototypes
“There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.”
― Hunter S. Thompson
Why was he in a Spanish prison?
I assume Uncle Sam wanted him for something, something deplorable.
His character in halt and catch fire was likely not extreme enough
Re: Why was he in a Spanish prison?
Tax evasion
guess he didnt have enough money to buy a few congress critters like the megacorps do....
He faked a heart attack in Belize to escape US extradition
So I wouldn't consider it completely out of the realm of possibility that he bribed Spanish officials to help him fake his own death to again escape US extradition...
Oblig XKCD obit
[1]Norton MacAfee protection if you're ever attacked by John MacAfee, Peter Norton will come out of retirement to defend you
Plus: https://xkcd.com/463/
Not many of us will get two name-checks there.
[1] https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2377:_xkcd_Phone_12
a la Epstein
https://twitter.com/officialmcafee/status/1316801215083225096?s=19
Was he found by Alejandro Vicente Garcia?
Ouch. love a good conspiracy, but I have to say, I suspect he may owe the taxman a considerable amount.
Colourful chap.
I'll miss him
The world will be a more boring place without his antics. McAfee Antivirus was good software. At least he made it to 75, that was unexpected.
This is internet gold, "how to uninstall McAfee antivirus", https://youtu.be/bKgf5PaBzyg .