John McAfee Indicted For Tax Evasion, Accused Of Hiding Cryptocurrency, Yacht From IRS

Topline

Antivirus software pioneer John McAfee was indicted by the U.S. Justice Department on Monday for tax evasion and failing to file tax returns, capping years of outrageous and erratic behavior from the tech entrepreneur. 

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

“People saying: ‘Just pay your income taxes and come home’. F*ck no!!  Income taxation is unconstitutional. Stop believing that caving in will solve our problems! It merely magnifies them!” McAfee tweeted in June 2019.

Key Background

Since founding the eponymous software company in the 1980s, and then selling his shares in the 1990s, McAfee has exhibited outrageous and sometimes bizarre behavior. He fled to Belize after the 2008 recession, where he was named a person of interest in the murder of his neighbor there. He has denied any involvement in the killing and he was never arrested or charged with a crime. After attempting to hide in Guatemala, he was eventually deported back to the U.S., where he later met his wife Janice Dyson McAfee and moved to Tennessee.

McAfee also tried to run for U.S. president this year as a Libertarian. On his campaign website, he says his only platform is to “free” the public because the government “has become our master—controlling our every action, down to the detail of what we may or may not put into our bodies and minds.”

Tangent

His Twitter account chronicles his most recent exploits abroad after fleeing the U.S. He recently tweeted about the “Deep State” and frequently boasts about his sexual prowess on social media, including a TikTok where he wears women’s underwear as a mask with the caption “McAfeestyle.” His Twitter bio reads: “Lover of women, adventure and mystery.”

What’s Next

 McAfee was indicted on five counts of tax evasion and five counts of willful failure to file a tax return, which could result in a maximum sentence of 30 years if convicted.