From the Cointelegraph archives, John McAfee tells his crypto story and takes a look back at his very fascinating life. Early in his life, the computer programmer landed a job at the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration, also known as NASA, and worked on the world’s first weather satellite. There, he learned about computer security and people’s concerns over unauthorized actors gaining access to private data. McAfee also shared that he made all his money not from the popular “McAfee” antivirus software but from other projects. He explained: “People know me from McAfee, but no, that was not …

In 2021, the market cap of cryptocurrencies skyrocketed 286% year over year, uplifting a $2.17 trillion industry into the stratosphere. But, with this vast creation of wealth comes the explosion of peculiar tales throughout the sector. From the suspicious death of multiple crypto-evangelists and crypto scams involving hacked Twitter accounts of heads of states to much-promoted celebrity NFT drops that bombed at the auction, 2021 was truly a wild year for the cryptocurrency cyberspace. Without further ado, let’s look at the top strangest stories that have captivated blockchain enthusiasts this year. No 1. The death of John McAfee On June …

Janice McAfee, the widow of antivirus pioneer John McAfee, says that she can’t “accept the suicide story” relating to the death of her husband until an investigation has been completed. In a Wednesday Twitter post, McAfee noted that she is still in shock as she expressed her disbelief that the 75-year-old would kill himself because of looming extradition to the United States to face charges of tax evasion and the possibility of life in prison. The outspoken crypto proponent was found dead in his jail cell within hours of a Spanish court ordering his extradition to the U.S. on June …

The reported suicide of notorious tax fugitive, Bitcoin proponent and antivirus software pioneer John McAfee has prompted an outpouring of tributes and conspiracy theories today. After years of evading United States taxes and authorities, a Spanish court had ordered McAfee’s extradition just hours before he was found dead, with the 75-year-old expected to face a life sentence in the U.S. should he have been extradited. Former National Security Agency employee and whistleblower Edward Snowden criticized the global reach of U.S. enforcement and warned that McAfee’s untimely end may not be the only one as “Julian Assange’s story could end much …

Software antivirus pioneer John McAfee has told his 1 million Twitter followers that his entire crypto fortune is gone — although he concedes not everyone will believe he’s telling the truth. The McAfee antivirus founder has been behind bars in Spain since October 2020 — when he was arrested for tax evasion — but that hasn’t stopped him from posting on Twitter on a near-daily basis. The 75-year-old tweeted earlier today that “I have nothing. Yet, I regret nothing,” and noted that: “The US believes I have hidden crypto. I wish I did but it has dissolved through the many …

A former navy seal and bodyguard to the banged-up abroad McAfee antivirus software founder, John McAfee, has pleaded not guilty to charges alleging he was involved in two wholesale crypto scams that duped investors out of roughly $13 million. Jimmy Gale Watson Jr, the former executive advisor of the “McAfee Team” — a website offering crypto tips endorsed by John McAfee, was arrested in Texas on March 4. Watson faces charges of allegedly defrauding investors through cryptocurrency scams, money laundering, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit commodities and securities fraud. In a March 5 indictment, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss …

Earlier this month, antivirus pioneer John McAfee was officially charged by the United States Department of Justice on seven counts of fraud and money laundering. These charges have been filed with respect to his activities in the crypto space from 2017 to 2020. It could be some time before McAfee actually has to face these charges in court, as he is currently being detained in Spain under a different warrant issued by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. While extradition from Spain to the United States should be easy, over the past few years the European Union has taken a much …

Crypto advocate and internet security pioneer John McAfee faces a number of different criminal charges, based on a new statement from the United States Department of Justice, or DoJ. The department accused McAfee of “conspiracy to commit commodities and securities fraud, conspiracy to commit securities and touting fraud, wire fraud conspiracy and substantive wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy offenses stemming from two schemes relating to the fraudulent promotion to investors of cryptocurrencies qualifying under federal law as commodities or securities,” the DoJ’s statement from the Southern District of New York said on Friday. Jimmy Watson Jr. is also listed …

John McAfee, an eccentric millionaire, crypto enthusiast, and anti-virus expert, was recently detained in Spain on charges of U.S. tax evasion. He also faces charges arising from a series of questionable crypto promotions, from which he allegedly profited millions of dollars. Though he is currently in a Spanish prison, it did not stop him from sharing a few of his thoughts on recent developments in the crypto industry. With regard to PayPal's recent announcement, McAfee said “PayPal's acceptance of cryptocurrency signals, I believe, a new wave of cryptocurrency acceptance worldwide. Governments around the world will have to get used to …

Every Friday, Law Decoded delivers analysis on the week’s critical stories in the realms of policy, regulation and law. Editor's note Historians typically date the birth of international policing as we know it today to the 1800s, a response to the explosion in nationalist movements and non-governmental political radicalism in Europe. Just as new linking technologies like the telegraph and the steam engine aided and abetted new networks of political deplorables and any number of Sherlock Holmes plots, the explosion of communications tech of the last quarter-century has brought about new forms of crime. Which is, y’know, something everyone passively …

Update: The Justice Department reports John McAfee has been arrested in Spain for tax evasion and is awaiting extradition to the United States. On Monday, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed suit against John McAfee for allegedly promoting initial coin offerings (ICOs) without disclosing that the ICO issuers were paying him, a violation of U.S. securities law. Per the complaint: "From at least November 2017 through February 2018, McAfee leveraged his fame to make more than $23.1 million U.S. Dollars ('USD') in undisclosed compensation by recommending at least seven “initial coin offerings” or ICOs to his Twitter followers." The …

Several days ago, technology pioneer and crypto advocate John McAfee departed his own privacy-focused asset, Ghost. He has since clarified, however, that he did not leave the endeavor entirely. "I have not abandoned the Ghost privacy ecosystem, only the GHOST privacy coin," McAfee told Cointelegraph in an email following his exit. "The ecosystem is centered on our Ghost cell phone service," he explained, noting that the service will continue. McAfee seemingly left the endeavor in a huff on Aug. 19, stating "I am abandoning the the Ghost project" His tweet cited inept management and forecast the project's doom. McAfee explained …