John McAfee, the antivirus software pioneer who founded cybersecurity company McAfee, was found dead Wednesday in a jail cell in Spain, according to a statement from his attorney.
A Spanish court earlier in the day ordered for the extradition of Mr. McAfee in connection with a federal criminal proceeding in Tennessee. Mr. McAfee had been detained in the country since October in connection with criminal charges filed in Tennessee by the Justice Department’s tax division.
The Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office also sought the extradition of Mr. McAfee for a separate criminal case.
“John was and will always be remembered as a fighter,” said Nishay K. Sanan, an attorney for Mr. McAfee. “He tried to love this country but the U.S. government made his existence impossible.”
Mr. Sanan said the court ruling Wednesday was going to be appealed in the next few days and that the New York extradition was still pending in a lower court in Spain.
