An indictment was unsealed Monday showing John McAfee being charged by the Department of Justice with tax evasion. The charges also include willful failure to file tax returns.
The indictment is dated June 15 and follows McAfee's arrest in Spain, where he is awaiting extradition to the US.
McAfee is alleged to have collected millions of dollars promoting cryptocurrency, as well as speaking engagements, selling his story for documentaries and consulting work. He is also alleged to have hidden assets such as a boat, a vehicle and real estate in other people's names.
None of the categories have anything to do with McAfee antivirus software .
Additionally, he has been accused of not filing tax returns from 2014 to 2018, the Ministry of Justice said on Monday.
“According to the complaints, McAfee allegedly evaded his tax liability by directing his income to be paid into bank accounts and cryptocurrency exchange accounts in the names of candidates,” the Justice Department said.
Each count of tax evasion imposes a maximum prison sentence of five years, while each count of willful failure to file a tax return carries a penalty of one year.
The pioneering antivirus software creator has been operating this way since 2012, following his alleged involvement in a homicide in Belize, which he denies. Last year, McAfee tweeted that “filing tax returns was not his only crime” and claimed that the remaining charges against him were “propaganda by the US government to silence me.”
McAfee was arrested by Dominican Republic forces while his boat was docked in Puerto Plata in July of last year. Several high-end weapons and ammunition were seized during the arrest, the AP reported at the time. He tweeted a photo from his time in prison there before heading to Europe, according to CNET.
