Cut corners: Cryptocurrency has fallen on hard times, making it unprofitable for almost anyone running a mining operation. That is, unless you're letting someone else pay the utility bills. A Massachusetts man was found to have established an illegal mining farm in the basement of the boiler room of his previous employer. The operation reportedly used more than $17,000 worth of stolen electricity over an eight-month period.
The culprit, Nadeam Nahas, 39, was loaded by the town of Cohasset, MA, with fraudulent use of electricity and vandalism of a school. He was charged following investigations that led city officials to a hidden cryptocurrency mine that was installed in an isolated crawl space next to a cohasset school boiler room. The farm reportedly included 11 mining equipment, as well as a ventilation system to ensure that the mining equipment did not overheat.
The farm was originally discovered in December 2021 by Cohasset's director of facilities during a routine school inspection. During the inspection, the principal identified ductwork, wiring, and several computers that appeared out of place in the inaccessible crawl space. The farm was correctly identified as an illegal cryptocurrency mining operation with the help of the City of Cohasset's director of information technology. Once identified, the couple contacted authorities to further investigate the unauthorized operation and identify its owner.
Cryptocurrency mining can be done using everyday computing resources or larger and much more powerful ones. Specialized Team designed to increase mining performance and overall efficiency. According to the images posted (above), Nahas was running the mining farm using larger application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), a type of chip designed to complete a very specific operation as efficiently and quickly as possible.
The miners in the posted photos typically require large server-grade power supplies to maintain 24/7 operations. These supplies, which can range from 1,200 to over 2,600 watts or more per miner, can generate a fairly high utility bill in a fairly short period of time. In this case, Nahas is responsible for stealing $17,492 worth of electric power between April and December 2021.
Nahas reportedly resigned from his position as deputy director of facilities in the city of Cohasset in early 2022. A Massachusetts judge issued a warrant for his arrest for failure to appear earlier this week after Nahas failed to appear for his arraignment hearing on February 23. Local outlets later reported that Nahas turned himself in to authorities after the missed hearing.
