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Old 11-12-2012, 07:38 PM   #1
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John McAfee, of antivirus software fame, has been arrested for murder in Belize, where he has been living for years. Apparently he "got in with the wrong crowd" and is into drugs, prostitution and crime.

http://www.celebritynetworth.com/art...urder-suspect/

Just 4 years ago, he gave this good but unconventional commencement speech, which most of us could relate to:

http://roanoke.edu/News_and_Events/C...le_Online.html
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Old 11-12-2012, 07:49 PM   #2
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Best commencement speech I have ever heard & with five children and three spouses between us I have been to many graduations . It's too bad his life went astray.
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Old 11-12-2012, 07:56 PM   #3
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Innocent until proven guilty. But sure seems like a life gone bad at this point
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Old 11-13-2012, 05:55 AM   #4
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That is a sad story.
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Old 11-13-2012, 07:09 AM   #5
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Wow, what a story! And people wonder how that much money can be spent - look how easily!
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Old 11-13-2012, 07:40 AM   #6
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If John McAfee had held onto his shares until the 2010 $7.7 billion Intel acquisition, his stake would have made him a multi-billionaire.

Looks like a buy and hold strategy(and continued working) would have paid off more ways than one. Would have become a mult-billionaire and kept him out of a rough crowd.
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Old 11-13-2012, 08:08 AM   #7
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If John McAfee had held onto his shares until the 2010 $7.7 billion Intel acquisition, his stake would have made him a multi-billionaire.

Looks like a buy and hold strategy(and continued working) would have paid off more ways than one. Would have become a mult-billionaire and kept him out of a rough crowd.
I think that part doesn't matter. $100 million back in 1994 was more then anyone needed to be flush for the rest of their life - $4M a year anyone? So it was a perfectly fine time to pull the plug, esp. given his work ethic.

But when you start building $25M estates in Colorado, well....... At that point he was living like a multi-billionaire already.
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Old 11-13-2012, 11:13 AM   #8
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John McAfee, of antivirus software fame, has been arrested for murder in Belize, where he has been living for years. Apparently he "got in with the wrong crowd" and is into drugs, prostitution and crime.
His choices in spending and investments do seem to have been poor.

But as far as criminal activities are concerned, so far there seem to be only allegations, no established facts: "he is the prime suspect in the murder of a fellow expat named Gregory Faull." and "He attempted to launch a new age pharmaceutical company but at some point local police began to suspect that the former dotcom king was actually manufacturing methamphetamine and an ultra potent strand of bath salts."

I've googled a bit about Belize and corruption. Foreign investors often seem to get ripped off and have to pay bribes to officials. There's always the chance that he was starting a legitimate company and is a victim of a corrupt system. It's far from certain that he will get a fair trial if he's apprehended.

EDIT: a pretty nasty Daily Mail article about him mentions "It began, innocently enough, with my refusal to donate to the local political boss of the district where I lived in Orange Walk and I have given at least $2million in gifts to the police departments in Orange Walk, San Pedro, Belize City."
Whether it's true that he's a victim of corrupt authorities is hard to know. But it could be.
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Old 11-13-2012, 11:25 AM   #9
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I've googled a bit about Belize and corruption. Foreign investors often seem to get ripped off and have to pay bribes to officials. There's always the chance that he was starting a legitimate company and is a victim of a corrupt system. It's far from certain that he will get a fair trial if he's apprehended.
Lots of US retirees (and others) consider moving to other countries for lower costs, a different social/political environment, etc. Part of this planning should be a consideration of crime and corruption factors. Citizens of the US and other developed Western countries often lack an understanding of how profound these problems can be.
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Old 11-13-2012, 11:29 AM   #10
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Part of this planning should be a consideration of crime and corruption factors. Citizens of the US and other developed Western countries often lack an understanding of how profound these problems can be.
I agree. This is why I'm not inclined to follow certain friends who are dreaming of FIRE-ing in Thailand.
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Old 11-13-2012, 11:45 AM   #11
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How do you get $1 million in Belize? Come in with $2 million.
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Old 11-13-2012, 12:35 PM   #12
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drugs, prostitution and crime.
See, if he'd stuck with a more conventional FIRE lifestyle centered around shuffle board, bridge and golf, he wouldn't be going though all this hassle now.
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Old 11-13-2012, 01:20 PM   #13
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I got to know him a few years ago when I represented him in a lawsuit. Of course, I can't tell you anything confidential, but the dude has some great stories. He's a pretty perfect example of what too much money, too much free time and too few inhibitions can do to a person. But he was a very interesting, and very bright, guy.

A rumor floating around the internet way back when was that some sort of super computer virus was coming that would destroy the technological world as we knew it. John announced he had anti-virus software that could defeat it. Part of the internet rumor was that he created the virus itself.

Another interesting rumor that I can neither confirm nor deny was that employees had a little game going where they got "points" for having sex in certain places in the office. The highest points were his desk.

The guy was a true child of the 60's!
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Old 11-13-2012, 05:03 PM   #14
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These Gizmodo articles are rather interesting.

Secrets, Schemes, and Lots of Guns: Inside John McAfee's Heart of Darkness

Exclusive: John McAfee Wanted for Murder (Updated)

The second one makes it seem rather plausible that he was trying to make the recreational drug MDPV that is legal in Belize, and maybe illegal ones too, but the article doesn't specify other names.
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Old 11-14-2012, 05:15 PM   #15
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And no one sued him for this?
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Another interesting rumor that I can neither confirm nor deny was that employees had a little game going where they got "points" for having sex in certain places in the office. The highest points were his desk.
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Old 11-14-2012, 05:59 PM   #16
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I got to know him a few years ago when I represented him in a lawsuit. Of course, I can't tell you anything confidential, but the dude has some great stories. He's a pretty perfect example of what too much money, too much free time and too few inhibitions can do to a person. But he was a very interesting, and very bright, guy.

A rumor floating around the internet way back when was that some sort of super computer virus was coming that would destroy the technological world as we knew it. John announced he had anti-virus software that could defeat it. Part of the internet rumor was that he created the virus itself.

Another interesting rumor that I can neither confirm nor deny was that employees had a little game going where they got "points" for having sex in certain places in the office. The highest points were his desk.

The guy was a true child of the 60's!
Interesting that this is your idea of what an attorney should disclose on the internet about a former client, especially one who is currently experiencing trouble.

Ha
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Old 11-14-2012, 06:03 PM   #17
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Interesting that this is your idea of what an attorney should disclose on the internet about a former client, especially one who is currently experiencing trouble.

Ha
Especially since we know everything we read on the internet is true...
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Old 11-14-2012, 10:22 PM   #18
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And no one sued him for this?
I think the "competition" was about other people having sex, not necessarily with him...
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Old 11-15-2012, 04:02 AM   #19
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Does it make any difference ? I would lose my license and probably go to jail for less than that...
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I think the "competition" was about other people having sex, not necessarily with him...
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Old 11-15-2012, 08:17 AM   #20
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Well, I hear he he made his money in some sort of antivirus business. Sounds like he probably used a gallon of the stuff each workday to get his desk sanitized.
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