Anti-Virus Titan John McAfee Arrested in Spain, Indicted For Tax Evasion
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John McAfee, the anti-virus software entrepreneur, has been arrested in Spain on Tuesday and faces extradition to the United States, where he has been charged with tax evasion.
According to prosecutors, McAfee — who has earned millions from selling the rights to his story for a documentary, trading cryptocurrency, and his software company — failed to file tax returns for four years.
McAfee also “falsely claimed to be an investor and/or a technical advisor when he recommended several ICOs,” according to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) complaint, which also alleged that the cybersecurity tycoon implied he had vetted the companies involved and would invest his own money in them. “In reality, McAfee’s tweets were paid promotions disguised as impartial investment advice,” the complaint pointed out.
If convicted, McAfee could face five years in prison for each count of tax evasion — a total of 25 years — and another five years for failing to file his tax returns.
In 2019, McAfee tweeted that he hadn’t filed tax returns for eight years because “taxation is illegal” and because he “paid tens of millions already and received Jack Shit in services.”
I have not filed a tax return for 8 years. Why? 1: taxation is illegal. 2: I paid tens of millions already and received Jack Shit in services. 3. I’m done making money. I live off of cash from McAfee Inc. My net income is negative. But i am a prime target for the IRS. Here I am.
— John McAfee (@officialmcafee) January 3, 2019
