BARCELONA :
US technology entrepreneur John McAfee apparently hanged himself in his prison cell on Wednesday after the Spanish high court authorised his extradition to the United States, his lawyer told Reuters.
Known for his eccentric behaviour and videos, McAfee, 75, was a pioneer of anti-virus software and indicted in Tennessee on tax evasion charges. He also was charged in a cryptocurrency fraud case in New York.
Security personnel at the Brians 2 penitentiary near the northeastern Spanish city tried to revive him, but the jail’s medical team finally certified his death, a statement from the regional Catalan government said.
Hours earlier, a Spanish high court agreed to extradite McAfee to the United States, a court document released on Wednesday said.
McAfee was in jail since he was arrested at Barcelona airport in October 2020, just as he was about to board a flight to Istanbul.
He was alleged to have deliberately failed to file tax returns between 2014 and 2018, despite earning millions from consulting work, cryptocurrencies and selling the rights to his life story.
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