British-American computer programmer and businessman, John McAfee, has died yesterday in a Barcelona prison. According to his lawyer, McAfee died by hanging himself in his prison cell on Wednesday soon after his extradition to the Unites States was sanctioned for tax evasion charges that were imposed on him by the Spanish high court.
Javier Villalba, who was the lawyer of John McAfee, told Reuters that the technology entrepreneur has took his life by suicide as his nine months period in prison has brought him to misery. He was 75 years old on the day he took his life on Wednesday.
The 75-year-old visited the court last month for the hearing and stated that based on his present age, he would spend his remaining life in the jail, if he is convicted in the US. He further said that the United States wanted to use him as an example and he is hopeful that the Spanish court is going to see the injustice behind his case, he said.
Last year on 6th October 2020, McAfee was detained over the tax evasion charges in Spain. However, the charges on McAfee were declared soon after the United States Securities and Exchange Commission discovered that it had carried civil charges against the 75-year-old technology entrepreneur. They further revealed that he may possibly face about 30 years in the prison if the criminal charges against him are convicted.
For years, he was on the run from the authorities of the United Statesand was living internationally on a yacht. McAfee was charged in Tennessee over the tax evasion charges and he was accused in a fraud case regarding cryptocurrency in the New York City. As per to a Spanish police source, last year in October 3, he used his British passport to travel to Istanbul, but was arrested by the police officials at the Barcelona airport.
Who was John McAfee?
John McAfee was born on 18th September 1945 and was born in Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England. His full name was John David McAfee and he was an entrepreneur and a computer programmer. This British-American entrepreneur is the founder of McAfee Associates and he started the company in the year 1987 and was operational in it till 1994, when he resigned.
Apart from the business, McAfee was also a perennial political candidate. During his political career, he has also sought the Libertarian Party nomination in the year 2016 and 2020 for president of the United States but was unsuccessful.
For the last few years, McAfee was hitting the headlines due to several crime-related controversies. In 2012, he was also arrested for unlicensed drug manufacturing and trading, as well as for having possession of an unlicensed weapon. In 2015, McAfee was again arrested in Tennessee for driving under the influence and having the possession of a firearm while being intoxicated. A few years later, he was again arrested in July 2019, on the suspicion of carrying heavy weapons as well as ammunition.
He died on 23rd June 2021 by hanging himself in Spain at his prison cell near Barcelona as his extradition to the United States was approved by Spanish Court recently over tax evasion charges.
