Software entrepreneur John McAfee found dead in prison cell

ANTI-VIRUS software creator John McAfee was found dead in his Barcelona prison cell hours after judges agreed to extradite him to the United States over tax evasion charges.

Medics tried to resuscitate the British-born entrepreneur but were not able to save his life – the Catalan justice department said “everything indicates” the 75-year-old took his own life.

The businessman created the first commercial anti-virus software and the McAfee technology became a multi-billion dollar industry and a household name – the businessman selling out to tach giant Intel for more than $7.6 billion.

In October last year McAfee was arrested at Barcelona airport s he was about to board a flight to Turkey and accused of failing to file tax returns in the US for four years despite allegedly earning millions from consulting work, speaking engagements, crypto-currency deals, and selling the right to his life story.

And the US government accused him of evading tax liabilities by paying income into bank and cryptocurrency accounts in the name of nominees. He was also alleged to have concealed assets including a yacht and property, again using other people’s names.

Spain’s courts authorised his extradition on Wednesday morning, he was found dead in his cell later the same day.

McAfee maintained he was the victim of a plot but the court revealed there was “no revealing evidence” he was being persecuted for political or ideological reasons = his lawyers said the “fighter” who was preparing to challenge all the allegations made against him.