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A proponent of cryptocurrencies, John McAfee has died in a Spanish prison. He was under extradition to the United States.
The crypto world is losing one of its most media-friendly figures – but probably not the most respectable given his repeated run-ins with the law. The Spanish press announced yesterday evening the death of John McAfee.
The latter is none other than the creator of the eponymous antivirus editor. The company was then resold, making its founder a millionaire. But John McAfee had many other passions in life, including drugs, alcohol, as well as cryptocurrencies.
It was, in fact, crypto-assets that earned McAfee, 75, his latest run-in with the law. In October 2020, he was arrested in Spain and placed in detention. The U.S. authorities then accused him of tax evasion.
On June 23, the Spanish justice gave its agreement to the extradition of John McAfee to the United States. That same day, he was found dead in his Barcelona prison cell, reported El Mundo, a well-known national daily.
According to a statement by the Spanish Ministry of Justice, which confirmed the information, “everything indicates that it could be a death by suicide. “John McAfee was facing a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.
The charges brought by the U.S. justice system were heavy. The US tax authorities accused him of having failed to declare several million dollars in income. This money came from the promotion of cryptocurrencies on social networks.
According to the SEC’s complaint, John McAfee allegedly “took advantage of his notoriety to earn more than US$23.1 million” between at least November 2017 and February 2018. The suspect allegedly promoted at least seven ICOs over that period.
John McAfee also allegedly concealed assets, including real estate, a yacht and a car, declared in other names. In the world of crypto, he will leave as a legacy some incredible predictions on the price of Bitcoin.
An eccentric character, McAfee predicted in 2018 that the value of Bitcoin would reach $1 million two years later. In 2020, and after repeating this prediction several times, he finally assured that it was a joke.
“Wake up! If Bitcoin ever reached $1 million, its capitalization would be greater than the GDP of the entire North American continent,” he said. “What idiot would believe such nonsense? “
Probably the same ones who are now brandishing conspiracy theories to explain the sudden death of John McAfee.