Crypto evangelist and software pioneer John McAffee was reportedly found dead at a Spanish prison after a court ruled in favor of his extradition to the United States. The founder of the reputed antivirus software company bearing his name had been indicted on charges of tax evasion in October.

McAffee’s demise was confirmed by his attorneys. Initial investigation into the matter suggests that the embattled businessman had committed suicide. He was 75 at the time of his death.

John McAffee Had a History of Legal Troubles Including Crypto Fraud

McAffee had sold his software firm in 1994 and lost most of his wealth in the financial disaster of 2008. Following this, he led a nomadic life during which he ran into legal troubles on several occasions. Last year in October, he was arrested in Spain after prosecutors in the US found him guilty of tax evasion. 

In an indictment filed by the Justice Department, McAffee was accused of making millions from his consultant work, speaking engagements, and crypto promotions, for which he owed taxes that he skirted for years. 

But tax evasion wasn’t the only charge the late businessman was facing. In March, federal prosecutors found McAffee guilty of running a crypto pump-and-dump scheme and raking millions by artificially inflating certain digital currencies. In another instance, the Justice Department alleged that McAffee had promoted initial coin offerings(ICO) without disclosing that the ICO issuers had been paying him to tweet about the projects.

Software Mogul Led a Controversial Life

The software mogul’s life was embroiled in controversies since 2012. Before his run-in with law enforcement authorities in the US, McAffee found himself in trouble with the government of Belize. He had been named a “person of interest” in connection with the murder of American businessman Gregory Faull, following which he left the country.

In 2015, he returned to the United States, where he was arrested on charges of drunk driving. During this period, McAffee also tried his hand at politics and ran as a Libertarian candidate for the presidency.

In the last few years, McAffee had become a vocal supporter of cryptocurrencies. At one point he claimed that Bitcoin is poised to reach $500,000 by the end of 2020.