A former official of a Massachusetts town is facing charges for setting up a secret cryptocurrency mining operation in a remote crawl space at a school, police said on Friday (February 24). Nadeam Nahas, 39, was an assistant facilities director in Cohasset. He worked as a town official from January 2021 until his resignation in early 2022.
Nahas has been charged with fraudulent use of electricity and vandalising Cohasset High School. On Friday, Nahas pleaded not guilty in court, according to a report by the BBC.
Crypto mining is the process of validating cryptocurrency transactions and creating a new cryptocurrency. It consumes vast amounts of electricity.
On Wednesday, Chief William Quigley of the Cohasset Police Department said in a statement that police had responded to the school in December 2021 after the town’s facilities director found electrical wires, temporary duct work, and numerous computers that seemed out of place while conducting a routine inspection (of the school).
Quigley said the town’s IT director was contacted and determined that it was a cryptocurrency mining operation unlawfully hooked up to the school’s electrical system. The Coast Guard Investigative Service and the Department of Homeland Security assisted with safely removing and examining the equipment.
Following a three-month investigation, it was found the suspect was Nadeam Nahas, the report said.
According to court documents, the mining operation ran from April to December 2021 and cost Cohasset High School $17,500 in electricity.
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.
