logo
Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Brief Publisher Logo
FACT BRIEF

Do public records show that John McAfee owned property in the collapsed apartment tower in Miami?

By Alexis Tereszcuk
Copy link
email
Copy featured image
email
NO

Contrary to a social media post, there is no evidence that the late antivirus software inventor John McAfee owned property in the 12-story Champlain Towers South condo high rise north of Miami that collapsed on June 24, 2021.

The post appeared on social media hours after the building located in Surfside, Florida, collapsed, and a day after McAfee was found dead in his prison cell in Spain.

According to a property records search in Dade County, Florida, McAfee is not listed as an owner of any of the 135 units in the building. He is also not publicly connected to any of the LLCs listed as owning property in the building.

In 2019 McAfee tweeted about "31+ terrabytes of incriminating data" that would be released if he were arrested or disappeared but there was no mention of it being in a condo building in Miami.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
CNN John McAfee found dead in Spanish prison after his extradition to the US was approved
Miami-Dade County Property Search
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
FACT BRIEF BY
Brief Publisher Logo
Latest fact briefs
facebook
twitter
email
email
About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.