Gloucestershire-born McAfee, the computer programmer behind the anti-virus software of the same name, has been an outspoken evangelist of cryptocurrency since bitcoin launched 10 years ago. The US government’s Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has convened a grand jury to lay down charges against John and Janice McAfee, together with four members of his 2020 US presidential election campaign. McAfee responded sternly to the charges. He claimed the US government was deliberately targeting him as “one of the tallest trees in the forest”.
It is believed the 73-year-old, his wife and team were anchored off the coast of Venezuela aboard their luxury yacht, from where he described the situation as being “at war”.
He said: “I have not paid taxes for eight years,” he confessed last night.
“I’ve made no secret of it. I have not filed returns.
“Every year I tell the IRS I’m not filing a return – I have no intention of doing so – come and find me, it’s not illegal.
“Today, the IRS has convened a grand jury in the state of Tennessee to charge myself, my wife Mrs McAfee, and four of my campaign workers with unspecified crimes of a felonious nature.”
Although the IRS have not revealed details of the charges, it is understood they relate to several millions of dollars in unpaid taxes backdated to 2010.
McAfee vowed to be on the run for as long as it takes, and issued a rallying cry for support from the cryptocurrency world.
He declared: “They want to silence me. I will not allow that.
“I am running my campaign from this boat for the duration.
“I will not allow them to imprison me and shut my voice down which they will do immediately.
“Why? Because I am a flight risk – I am in flight.
“Today, crypto community, we are at war and I am on the front lines.”