Eccentric Antivirus Millionaire Turned Fugitive John McAfee Talks Drugs And Life On The Run With Dateline
It's said that real life is sometimes stranger than fiction, and that couldn't be any more truer when it comes to John McAfee, a former programmer for NASA and founder of McAfee Associates, a computer antivirus company that's now owned by Intel. His story contains drugs, an unsolved murder investigation, foreign government conspiracies, and even a faked heart attack, some of which he'll discuss during a Dateline NBC special titled "The Fugitive Millionaire" that's set to air on Thursday, March 26 at 8pm/7c. We have the inside scoop.
NBC Universal provided HotHardware with a few excerpts of the interview, which cover his troubles in Belize and his new company Future Tense. With regards to the former, McAfee talks about the murder investigation in his next-door neighbor and explains why he refused to talk to the Belizean police even though he was (and remains) a person of interest.
Image Source: NBC Universal / Dateline NBC
"In Belize, the-- the-- the war that I had with the government over their illegal-- invasion of my property (CHUCKLE) in the jungle went on for almost a year. It-- it culminated in the mysterious murder of my neighbor-- for which they wanted to question me, since I was his neighbor-- his neighbor, his next-door neighbor. I refused to do that, because I had been-- in a war of words with them for a year," McAfee told Dateline NBC.
The very crux of McAfee's journey into what seemed like madness comes back to the Belizean government and whether or not something corrupt was going on. Through prior interviews and reports, it became clear that McAfee was convinced the government had it out for him, that it was destroying his property and ultimately wanted him killed. He offers only a vague reason why.
"When I came back to the States-- I had a firm and-- and solid conviction that the Belizean government-- was attempting to remove me-- as a-- as a potential threat to-- you know, to their own security, because of information that-- that I possessed. You know, after two years of-- of-- of warring about that, I-- I realized that it's getting me nowhere," McAfee continued.
Image Source: NBC Universal / Dateline NBC
Whether it was paranoia or a legitimate concern, it caused McAfee to go on the run rather than answer questions about his neighbor's murder. He left everything behind -- his home, his belongings, and fled to neighboring Guatemala where he sought political asylum. He was eventually arrested there, denied asylum, and was taken to a detention center to await deportation to Belize.
Things got weird. There were multiple reports that McAfee suffered two heart attacks while being detained. He would later state that he faked the heart attacks to buy his lawyers some time to file appeals and to pressure the U.S. to come pick him up. Faked, real, or simply symptoms of high blood pressure and anxiety attacks, as his lawyer spun it, it worked. McAfee returned to the U.S. on December 12, 2012.
"These days, I am-- utilizing my-- my experience in-- computer technology and communications to create products-- for children, parents and-- the public in general, that will allow them to take more control over their privacy and security," McAfee told Dateline NBC.
His new company is called Future Tense, which he describes as a security and privacy firm offering innovative mobile and web applications. It's the newest chapter in a bizarre story that, if he's to be believed, could have just as easily ended with his execution in Belize.
John McAfee playing up the bath salts angle in a NSFW video on how to uninstall McAfee Antivirus
NBC Universal provided HotHardware with a few excerpts of the interview, which cover his troubles in Belize and his new company Future Tense. With regards to the former, McAfee talks about the murder investigation in his next-door neighbor and explains why he refused to talk to the Belizean police even though he was (and remains) a person of interest.
Image Source: NBC Universal / Dateline NBC
"In Belize, the-- the-- the war that I had with the government over their illegal-- invasion of my property (CHUCKLE) in the jungle went on for almost a year. It-- it culminated in the mysterious murder of my neighbor-- for which they wanted to question me, since I was his neighbor-- his neighbor, his next-door neighbor. I refused to do that, because I had been-- in a war of words with them for a year," McAfee told Dateline NBC.
The very crux of McAfee's journey into what seemed like madness comes back to the Belizean government and whether or not something corrupt was going on. Through prior interviews and reports, it became clear that McAfee was convinced the government had it out for him, that it was destroying his property and ultimately wanted him killed. He offers only a vague reason why.
"When I came back to the States-- I had a firm and-- and solid conviction that the Belizean government-- was attempting to remove me-- as a-- as a potential threat to-- you know, to their own security, because of information that-- that I possessed. You know, after two years of-- of-- of warring about that, I-- I realized that it's getting me nowhere," McAfee continued.
Image Source: NBC Universal / Dateline NBC
Whether it was paranoia or a legitimate concern, it caused McAfee to go on the run rather than answer questions about his neighbor's murder. He left everything behind -- his home, his belongings, and fled to neighboring Guatemala where he sought political asylum. He was eventually arrested there, denied asylum, and was taken to a detention center to await deportation to Belize.
Things got weird. There were multiple reports that McAfee suffered two heart attacks while being detained. He would later state that he faked the heart attacks to buy his lawyers some time to file appeals and to pressure the U.S. to come pick him up. Faked, real, or simply symptoms of high blood pressure and anxiety attacks, as his lawyer spun it, it worked. McAfee returned to the U.S. on December 12, 2012.
"These days, I am-- utilizing my-- my experience in-- computer technology and communications to create products-- for children, parents and-- the public in general, that will allow them to take more control over their privacy and security," McAfee told Dateline NBC.
His new company is called Future Tense, which he describes as a security and privacy firm offering innovative mobile and web applications. It's the newest chapter in a bizarre story that, if he's to be believed, could have just as easily ended with his execution in Belize.
John McAfee playing up the bath salts angle in a NSFW video on how to uninstall McAfee Antivirus
It's difficult to know what to make of McAfee, especially after visiting his blog. In it, he talks of locking himself in the bathroom to snort bath salts until his toilet began to speak to him. Seriously. And what profoundness did the porcelain potty offer up?
"Rescind all laws against drunk driving, Equip all cars with flashing pink roof lights. Alcohol breath detector in steering wheel activates flashing light," the toilet muttered.
For the record, there were reports that two structures belonging to McAfee burned to the ground in Belize around five months after he returned to the U.S. Each building was valued at about $250,000, one of which McAfee said was about to be purchased by an investment group.
Suffice to say, we'll be watching his interview tonight on Dateline NBC.
