Belize cops hunt McAfee software founder

[KiwiElf]

Belize cops hunt McAfee software founder
AAP November 13, 2012, 11:41 am

http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/15366200/belize-cops-hunt-mcafee-software-founder/

Police in Belize are looking for the founder of the software company McAfee Inc to question him about the death of another US citizen, his neighbour in an island town on the Caribbean.

Spokesman Raphael Martinez says John McAfee was the neighbour of 52-year-old Gregory Viant Faull.

Faull was found with a gunshot wound to his head inside his home north of San Pedro, a town on the island of Ambergris Caye.

Martinez says other neighbours have been questioned, but McAfee has not been home. McAfee could not be reached for comment by The Associated Press.

Martinez said on Monday that Faull's computer and phone were missing, but there were no signs of forced entry. The housekeeper discovered the body on Sunday and called police.

[TargeT]

Belize cops were like mexico police last time I was there (granted.. it's been 17 years.. haha) corrupt as hell & probably couldn't find their own shoes if they weren't tied onto their feet...

They tried to shake down my parents but failled miserably, especialy when it ended up in court.

if you don't want to be found it should be rather easy..

[TargeT]

burried himself and put a cardboard box over his head... quick thinking... haha

sounds like an interesting case.


Antivirus pioneer John McAfee is still on the run, hiding in the bottoms of boats and cars, sleeping on a mattress infested with lice, and finally taking refuge in homes at undisclosed locations in Belize. “Obviously, given enough time, they will track me down,” he said in an exclusive interview this morning. “It’s just a matter of time.”

McAfee phoned me again at 6:13 a.m. Belize time and described his last 48 hours on the lam. With his permission I recorded our interview, which you can hear above.

McAfee, 67, is wanted for questioning in connection with the murder of Gregory Faull, a 52-year-old American expatriate and neighbor of McAfee’s. Faull was found dead in his villa Sunday morning, shot once in the back of the head. Faull had complained about the barking of McAfee’s dogs — he kept 11 at his beachside compound — and four of those dogs were poisoned Friday night.

When police arrived at McAfee’s property to question him and search the premises Sunday afternoon, McAfee hid, burying himself in sand and covering his head with a cardboard box. He says he spent 18 hours hiding on his property before slipping away.

His reason, he explained to Wired this morning: He believes he’ll be tortured or killed by Belizean authorities if captured. “You know what happens in Central American jails in order to get information. I fully expect to have signed statements saying God knows what,” he said. “If you put enough pain on someone, they will say or sign anything.”

And so, he says, he’ll remain in hiding as long as possible. “I’m unable to move. All the police, all the media have my photo. It’s a small country,” he said. “If I leave this house, I would be identified immediately and nabbed.”

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/11/john-mcafee-audio-interview/

[Maia Gabrial]

Yeah, but did he kill his neighbor?

[TargeT]

Yeah, but did he kill his neighbor?

he says no, but the 4 dogs being killed is an interesting fact.... (motive?)


Still on the Lam, John McAfee Says He’s Now In Disguise
http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/threatlevel/2012/11/Wired_McAfee-660x660.jpg

It doesn’t sound like much of a disguise, but John McAfee is doing his best to change his appearance as he continues to evade the police in Belize.

In a case that seems to get more bizarre by the day, the 67-year-old has continued to call me with semi-hourly updates. The latest disclosure: He claims to have dyed his hair, eyebrows, beard, and mustache jet black.

“I have modified my appearance in a radical fashion,” McAfee said, “I’ll probably look like a murderer, unfortunately.”

The American antivirus pioneer is wanted for questioning in connection with the murder of Gregory Faull, 52, an American expatriate and neighbor of McAfee’s. They both have beachside properties on the island of Ambergris Caye, about 20 miles off the Belize coast. Faull was found dead, face up in a pool of blood, in his villa Sunday morning, shot once in the back of the head. Faull had complained about the barking of McAfee’s dogs — McAfee kept 11 at his beachside compound — and four of those dogs were poisoned Friday night.

When police arrived at McAfee’s property Sunday afternoon to question him, McAfee hid, he says, burying himself in sand and covering his head with a cardboard box. He says he spent 18 hours hiding on his property before slipping away.

He has been running ever since, he says, riding in boats, huddling on the floorboards of taxis, sleeping in a bed that he said was infested with lice.

Since going into hiding, McAfee has repeatedly denied that he had anything to do with Faull’s death. He says that he does not want to give himself up to authorities because he is afraid they will torture or kill him.

He’s convinced that, while he’s away from his compound, the police will plant incriminating evidence unrelated to Faull’s murder. “The police have been to my house seven times,” he said. “I expect them to uncover a cache of fully automatic weapons, four tons of cocaine. Maybe a Soviet submarine.”

The authorities, meanwhile appear to be trying to put pressure on McAfee by arresting friends and associates, according to two sources (who are not McAfee). Since Sunday, police have detained one of McAfee’s bodyguards, William Mulligan; his groundskeeper, Cassian Chavaria; and a local taxi driver, Cesar Trapp.

McAfee said he is outraged by the detentions: “This is exactly what happened to Soviet dissidents when Stalin took power. If they could not catch the man himself, they rounded up all of his friends.”

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/11/john-mcafee/

[TargeT]

John McAfee, in Hiding, Condemns Belizean Government as ‘Pirates’

John McAfee is still in hiding, but he isn’t idle. The American antivirus pioneer sent me an essay this morning in which he offers his perspective on Belize’s history and politics, and his conflicts with the government — conflicts that have now reached a head.

“It’s a system that functions more or less smoothly if you play by the rules,” McAfee writes. “I am not fond of these rules however and I openly oppose them. This is the root of my struggle here in Belize.”

McAfee is sought for questioning in connection with the murder of Gregory Faull, 52, an American expatriate and neighbor of McAfee’s. Faull was found dead, face up in a pool of blood, in his villa Sunday morning, shot once in the back of the head. Faull had complained about the barking of McAfee’s dogs — McAfee kept 11 at his beachside compound — and four of those dogs were poisoned Friday night. McAfee says he’s innocent, and that he fears for his life if the police get their hands on him.

His essay follows.



The Latin source of the English word “Pirate” is “Pirata” – “one who exploits or plunders”. Belize, which was founded in the 16th Century by pirates and ignored by most of the world for 400 years, is a country of plunderers. The notorious buccaneer and one time governor of Tortuga – Peter Wallace – established Belize as a pirate haven when he moved here in 1638. It was a perfect haven. The barrier reef, which is the second longest in the world and has few navigable cuts, provided protection against the heavy Spanish Galleons which were prey for the pirates. Belize also lay adjacent to the main trade route used by the Spanish as they slowly sucked nearly forty million pounds of gold from South America and shipped it to Spain. So short forays frequently yielded great gains. The English turned a blind eye to Belize because, in England’s constant wars with the Spanish and the French, the Belizean pirates, by attacking the enemies of Britain, acted as an ally. The rest of the world simply didn’t care. Belize was too insignificant to think about.

Pirate attitudes were brutal and blunt. John Vickers described a Caribbean pirate by the name of Tom Barrow in a London deposition in 1716:


[They] commit great disorders in that Island, plundering the inhabitants, burning their houses, and ravishing their wives. One Thomas Barrow, formerly mate of a Jamaica brigantine which run away some time ago with a Spanish marquiss’s money and effects, is the chief of them and gives out that he only waits for a vessell to go out a pirating, that he is Governor of Providence and will make it a second Madagascar, and expects 500 or 600 men more from Jamaica sloops to join in the settling of Providence, and to make war on the French and Spaniards, but for the English, they don’t intend to meddle with them . . . .

This description could apply exactly to the current Prime Minister of Belize and much of his cabinet. Their Gang Suppression Unit plunders, burns and ravishes. They have run away with the country’s constitution – as a month ago trial by jury is no longer a right, and preventive detention can keep a person locked up without charges for up to three days. They wait only for Chavez to provide them with oil and funds and they will then kick ass. But they still need the rest of the world.

Belize is, today, still a pirate haven and is run more or less along the lines established centuries ago by the likes of Captain Morgan, Blackbeard and Captain Barrow: Plunder is the preferred means of wealth acquisition; Exploitation is the preferred formula for success; Brutality creates respect; Fear is the means of governance; Extortion is the method of collecting what is due. It’s a system that functions more or less smoothly if you play by the rules.

I am not fond of these rules however and I openly oppose them. This is the root of my struggle here in Belize.

Over the next few days, I will tell my side of the sad story unfolding around me and tragically affecting my closest friends, many of which have been arrested and are currently being detained under the draconic laws enacted by the current Prime Minister.

Consider Amy. She was the girlfriend of Arthur, the leader of the Taylor Street Gang in Belize City. Arthur attempted to turn himself in to the police. His hands were handcuffed behind his back and he was then shot multiple times. Amy came to my home unannounced and requested asylum from the GSU (Gang Suppression Unit) shortly after Arthur’s murder. I had never seen her before and knew nothing about Arthur other than what I had read in the press. I gave her asylum.

This fact alone would be sufficient answer to my critics that insist that if I were innocent I would simply turn myself in. The list of people who have died while in the custody of Belizean police, from suffocating on their own vomit, hanging themselves, overdosing on drugs, being beaten to death by fellow inmates, being shot while trying to escape, etc. would fill a phone book from an average American town. It is a convenient method of silencing those whom the government deems undesirable.


http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/11/mcafee-essay/

[TargeT]

A good reminder to bewary of your technology...... make sure you know what info you are giving away ;)


Oops! Did Vice Just Give Away John McAfee’s Location With Photo Metadata?

John McAfee, the millionaire software executive turned semi-fugitive, was falsely reported captured over the weekend. Now, in a new post on his blog, he claims that he’s left Belize for another country in the company of two Vice journalists and his longtime female companion, Sam. He also noted that Vice would be publishing a story today that would end all the speculation as to whether or not he is a “drug-crazed madman.”

In fact, Vice did publish a story today, titled “We Are With John McAfee Right Now, Suckers,” complete with a photo of McAfee and Vice editor-in-chief Rocco Castoro taken with an iPhone 4S. And location information embedded in the photo indicates the foursome is in Guatemala, specifically along the Rio Dulce in the Parque Nacional Rio Dulce. Near the Ranchon Mary restaurant. By a swimming pool.
Many smartphones, the iPhone 4S included, automatically embed location data in photographs if that setting is turned on. Commonly, this information is either removed prior to publishing location sensitive stories, or turned off in the phone before pictures are taken.
http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/gadgetlab/2012/12/8b4cd78e0012f775d7dc621f5498b6751.jpg
After the story broke on Twitter, McAfee promptly put up a blog post noting that he had “manipulated the xif data on the image taken from my cellphone, and created a fake emrgency so that the urgency of movement led, as I knew it would, to the hasty posting on their website.” At about the same time, Vice posted a new version of the photo with the GPS coordinates removed.

McAfee is wanted for questioning in Belize in a case related to the murder of his neighbor, Gregory Faull. McAfee has proclaimed his innocence.




http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/12/oops-did-vice-just-give-away-john-mcafees-location-with-this-photo/

[TargeT]

Must be nice to be able to gain media attention like this, when my dad & uncle were arrested in Belize no one cared except the cops that were trying to shake them down.....


John McAfee Detained by Guatemala Police

http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/gadgetlab/2012/12/mcafee_arrested_640.jpg

John McAfee was taken into police custody in Guatemala on Wednesday for being in the country illegally, police there have confirmed.

The McAfee Security founder had fled to Guatemala to avoid authorities in neighboring Belize, where he is wanted for questioning in the gunshot murder of his neighbor Greg Faull. McAfee has repeatedly claimed to be innocent. He was first reported detained by Robert King, a Vice photographer he was traveling with, who, oddly, likely contributed to McAfee’s capture.

On Monday, Vice published a story titled “We Are With John McAfee Right Now, Suckers” and inadvertently revealed McAfee’s whereabouts in Guatemala via location data embedded in the photo. McAfee and Vice photographer King both claimed the photo had been manipulated to conceal his true location.


McAfee later admitted that was a lie, and King’s Facebook status update claiming the photo was doctored disappeared. Wired emailed Vice’s Alex Detrick to ask if the publication stood by King’s statement, but Vice did not respond. However, on Tuesday, Vice published a new video of McAfee in Guatemala and claimed that he had “just hired the best lawyer in the country.” McAfee announced a press conference, and promised his new attorney the entire world media would show up. He was subsequently taken into custody by the Guatemala National Civil Police and Interpol.

On Wednesday, King reported McAfee had been detained, which authorities in Guatemala subsequently confirmed. McAfee previously told Wired’s Joshua Davis he had dyed his hair, eyebrows, beard, and mustache black to avoid detection. This seemed like obvious subterfuge, but appears to be the case based on his appearances on Vice, and in a photo published by the Guatemala National Civil Police following McAfee’s detention.

If you’re worried that McAfee might drop out of public sight now that he’s been captured, don’t be. He’s already jailblogging and plans to go ahead with the press conference.



http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/12/mcafee-detained/

[KiwiElf]

Things are getting "interesting",... thanks TargeT - you're doin more research on this than me! LOL! :o

[yiolas]

Strange, I thought that I saw this on the news the he had a heart attack. Check this out
John McAfee, the anti-virus software pioneer wanted for questioning in connection with the murder of an American neighbour in Belize, was rushed to hospital with chest pains tonight after he was denied political asylum by Guatemala.

It had seemed that Mr McAfee would be sent back to Belize until he was carried on a stretcher out of the building where he was being held, with his lawyer saying he had suffered two mild heart attacks while hit by anxiety and hypertension

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mcafee-suffers-two-heart-attacks-after-asylum-denial-8390561.html

[KiwiElf]

McAfee back in US, escapes deportation to Belize
AFP Updated December 13, 2012, 3:38 pm

http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/15624081/mcafee-back-in-us-escapes-deportation-to-belize/

MIAMI (AFP) - Anti-virus software pioneer John McAfee was back on American soil after being expelled from Guatemala, escaping immediate deportation to Belize for questioning over his neighbor's murder.

Customs officials did not immediately respond to calls from AFP regarding McAfee's legal status and what would happen to him now, after he touched down at Miami International Airport just before 7:00 pm local time (0000 GMT).

McAfee and 20-year-old girlfriend Sam Vanegas spent more than three weeks on the run in Belize after his neighbor's November 11 murder before slipping across the border into Guatemala, where he was arrested on December 5.

McAfee's high-profile lawyer, former Guatemalan attorney general Telesforo Guerra, successfully fought his deportation back to Belize after the former Silicon Valley legend failed to win political asylum in Guatemala.

Then, in the latest sudden twist to the dramatic McAfee story, Guatemala abandoned Wednesday efforts to return him to Belize and announced that they were expelling him immediately to his country of origin, the United States.

"I got 10 years older," McAfee told AFP of his Central American odyssey as he awaited his flight in Guatemala after being rushed by police convoy from a detention center for immigrants where he has been jailed for the past week.

Francisco Velazquez, another passenger from Guatemala, said he knew about McAfee but did not realize he was on the same flight as the potential murder suspect until after they had touched down.

"They called for him on the loudspeaker. He quietly walked towards the front of the plane and everyone else had to wait until he had left," Velazquez told AFP.

He and other passengers confirmed that McAfee cooperated fully with the US authorities on arrival and was taken to another part of the airport on arrival in a golf-cart. It was not clear what happened to him next.

Immigration spokesman Fernando Lucero told reporters earlier in Guatemala City that McAfee had been sent back to his country of origin for illegally entering Guatemala.

"He prefers to be in the United States where he will be safer than here or in Belize," McAfee's lawyer, Guerra, told reporters.

McAfee left a message before take-off on his blog, whoismcafee.com -- which he has used relentlessly as a mouthpiece to protest his innocence and to throw the chasing Belizean authorities off his scent.

"I have been forcibly separated from Sam," he wrote, indicating that she and another female friend, Amy, planned to join him later in Miami.

Authorities in Belize want to question McAfee about the death of 52-year-old Florida expatriate Gregory Faull, who was found by his housekeeper with a 9-mm bullet in his head, lying in a pool of his own blood.

McAfee denies murdering Faull and says he went on the run because he feared for his life if apprehended in Belize, claiming he knew too much about official corruption.

Belize's Prime Minister Dean Barrow has shrugged off McAfee's claims of official intrigue in his country, saying the American is "extremely paranoid."

Prior to his murder, Faull had orchestrated a letter of complaint to the local mayor, urging the authorities to take action because McAfee's "vicious" dogs and aggressive security guards were scaring tourists and residents.

McAfee shot dead four of his dogs before fleeing, claiming they had been poisoned by Faull.

Police in Belize said weeks ago that ballistics experts were seeking a match between bullets founds in the dog carcasses and one found in the murder victim, but no results have been announced.

McAfee has not been directly accused of Faull's murder. Police have said only that he is wanted for questioning as a "person of interest" in the case.

McAfee amassed an estimated $100 million fortune during the early days of the Internet in the 1990s, designing the pioneering anti-virus software that bears his name, before cashing out to become an intrepid adventure-seeker.

He decamped to Belize in 2009 after losing most of his fortune to bad investments and the financial crisis.

McAfee was briefly incarcerated in April after police found him living with a 17-year-old girl and discovered an arsenal of seven pump-action shotguns, one single-action shotgun, and two 9-mm pistols.

Wearing a blue suit and white shirt, McAfee appeared relaxed and happy after getting out of a police vehicle in Guatemala City and walking freely to the flight waiting area.

"I am wonderful, thank you. I am going to America, to Miami," he told AFP before boarding the plane.

McAfee said he wasn't sure what his next immediate steps would be but confirmed that he did intend to make a film about his made-for-Hollywood life story. "I am going to do the movie, yes," he said.

[TargeT]

McAfee was briefly incarcerated in April after police found him living with a 17-year-old girl and discovered an arsenal of seven pump-action shotguns, one single-action shotgun, and two 9-mm pistols.



"Arsenal"

Really?


8 shotguns and 2 handguns?


Hmm, lets see; currently in my house I have 3 shotguns (pump action) 2 AR-15's, 1 PS90, 4 handguns & 2 Hunting rifles.. and I'm not considered to have a "lot" of guns around these parts.

My boss has around 30 fire arms at his house,... "arsenal"... christ what has journalism come to these days....

I guess it LOOSELY fits the definition....

[KiwiElf]

Yeah I know... LOOOSE is right! (lamestream media for ya!). ;)

"Who" is this murdered "neighbour" anyway????? (ie, not too much background on that aspect (yet), or was someone actually meant to do a hit on McAffe and got the wrong guy??).

I'd love to know what's really behind this? :)