After Not Filing Taxes for 8 Years, John McAfee Claims IRS After Him For Cryptocurrencies

He revealed earlier this month that he hadn't filed taxes in eight years. The connection between his unfiled returns and the crypto charges remained unclear, though he attributes the IRS pursuit to both.

McAfee says he hasn't earned income during those eight years, living instead on proceeds from selling his stake in McAfee Associates in 1991. He has argued that taxes are illegal and unnecessary. Federal law, though, requires anyone receiving income to file a tax return, regardless of whether they owe taxes. McAfee has mentioned several business ventures, creating ambiguity about whether he's earned any new money.

His profile grew in the late 1980s with the development of the first commercial antivirus software. He sold his stake a few years later, then he vanished until a murder investigation in Belize pulled him back into public view. Guatemalan authorities arrested him, and U.S. officials brought him home.

Since his return, McAfee has built a sprawling public image. He called taxes illegal and posted images of himself with automatic weapons alongside women in bikinis. He wrote about his drug use, ran an insurgent presidential campaign, created his own political party, and at times advocated for consensual sex with whales. A Showtime documentary connected him to rape and murder accusations. He launched Apollo, a privacy-focused coin, though later claimed he never used privacy coins.

McAfee commands more support within the cryptocurrency community than he does in the general public. Some embrace his provocations. Others reject them outright.

The exact cause of the IRS charges remained unclear. McAfee did not respond to a request for comment.