The final years of John McAfee's controversial life

McAfee, who founded the anti-virus company with the same name in 1987, was also a founder of McAfee.John McAfee appeared to have won the 2012 game.After running in Belize, he was arrested in Guatemala. His neighbour had been murdered. He was described by the police as a "person-of interest" in the case.He managed to get away, just like in so many other situations in his life.McAfee rose to fame in 1980s after he founded an anti-virus software firm he named after him.McAfee's success brought him money, but throughout his life, he seemed just as adept at losing money than he was at creating it.He had moved to Belize in 2008 and ended up living with Gregory Faull.Faull was found murdered at his home in November 2012.McAfee stated that he had only spoken 15 words to McAfee in the five years that he was there.Gregory Faull was shot to death at his Belize homeTheir relationship ended after McAfee suspected that McAfee had poisoned the dogs.He stated that there was no ongoing dispute."Yeah, that guy was crazy about my dogs."Maybe, I think, he poisoned them."At the time I didn't believe that."Free manABC News revealed that Faull had actually filed a complaint against McAfee's dogs, claiming one had attacked a tourist.Whatever the truth may be, McAfee was not there when police arrived to search for him.The police found a lot of weapons in the home, which he was sharing with a 17 year-old girl.Many believed McAfee would face trial for Faull's murder when they finally caught up to him in Guatemala.Within a week, however, he was released. He was allowed to fly to Miami as a free man."After the event was over, I thought, 'Good Lord! I must have been afraid.'" He told BBC News."But I can't really remember."Ideas for making moneyMcAfee was haunted by Faull's death for the rest his life.A Florida court ordered Faull to pay $25m (18m), to Faull's estate as part of a wrongful-death claim.Continue the storyHe returned to America and pursued new money-making opportunities, but he settled in Lexington, Tennessee, as is his usual behavior.McAfee declared in 2016 that he would run for president of the Libertarian Party.He was a campaigner to end the "war against drugs" and increase US defenses against cyber-security threats from Russia and China.He was however unsuccessful.You have better luckMcAfee began to promote crypto-currencies around this time.He seemed to have more success in his business ventures than he did in politics at the beginning.He made use of his public platform to promote alt-coins, which are crypto-currencies that have been created to compete with Bitcoin.The Verge reported that he charged $105,000 per tweet in 2018 to promote initial coin offerings.He also supported a "unhackable crypto-wallet" - which was later hacked.However, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) would be enamored by his promotion of crypto-currencies.According to Tennessee prosecutors, McAfee appears to be in good financial standing.He was on his way to Turkey when he was stopped by Spanish authorities.He was accused of not filing tax returns for four consecutive years, despite making millions through consulting, speaking engagements and crypto-currencies.According to the Associated Press news agency, McAfee owed $4214,105 in taxes from 2014 to 2018, according to Prosecutors.The US Justice Department also claimed that he had evaded taxes by having his income transferred into crypto-currency exchange and bank accounts under the names of nominees.He was also accused in hiding assets including yachts and real-estate properties, as well as other names."Go dark"McAfee was arrested in Spain while he was being held.He was accused by the SEC of fraud and laundering money for his promotion of crypto-currencies via social media.Later, he told his Twitter followers that he was planning to "go dark," on social media after being threatened by the SEC.He claimed that the US government had ulterior motives for asking him to be extradited and that his attempt to run in Libertarian Party was also a factor.On Wednesday, however, the National Court of Spain found that there was no "revealing evidence" that he was being charged for political or ideological motives and authorized his extradition to the USA.Dark twistsMcAfee believed that if he were extradited, he would spend his entire life behind bars.He was discovered dead in his cell within hours.His lawyer stated that he had committed suicide.Although he didn't fit the mold of Silicon Valley tech founders, his anti-virus business was enormously successful.He was also complex and erratic, and his colorful life was filled with self-destruction and dark twists.His final years were marked by his characteristic exuberance, and a nihilistic disdain for authority.