The founder of the anti-virus software development company, John McAfee, spoke on Twitter about the fate of his cryptocurrency capital, which he received for promoting various projects.
"The US believes that I have a hidden cryptocurrency. I wish it was, but it went to the hands of the “Mcafee Team " (your faith in this is not required), and all my remaining assets were confiscated. My friends disappeared, fearing a connection with me. I have nothing left. But I have no regrets, " he wrote.
McAfee was detained in October 2020 at Barcelona airport while trying to fly to Istanbul, after the United States put him on an international wanted list on charges of tax evasion. The US authorities claim that McAfee earned millions of dollars from promoting crypto projects, consulting and other sources, but has not filed tax returns since 2014. The prosecution also admits that he may hide real estate, cars and yachts registered to other persons.
During a hearing in Spain's National Court this week, McAfee said he was refusing voluntary extradition, calling his case political. The charges, he said, are related to the fact that he spoke "against corruption in the US tax authorities" and was going to run for president.
"I said I would target the IRS and its corruption, and two months later, the IRS files a lawsuit against me. I have paid millions of dollars in taxes, and my companies have paid billions of dollars in taxes, " he said during the meeting.
In March, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York filed charges against McAfee for cryptocurrency-related activities.
"It is alleged that the defendants used McAfee's Twitter account to distribute messages to hundreds of thousands of followers and attract them to various cryptocurrencies with false and misleading statements, while concealing their true selfish motives," Manhattan Prosecutor Audrey Strauss said at the time.