A man has been arrested and is facing charges in a small town outside of Boston after local authorities discovered âan illegal cryptocurrency mining operationâ tucked away under a schoolâs floor
As theBBC report, the accusedâ39-year-old Nadeam Nahasâwas previously the assistant facilities director for the small town of Cohasset, which is roughly 10 miles outside Boston. In December 2021, a âroutine inspectionâ of the school turned up some suspicious modifications.
Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley told the BBC that, according to Cohasset High Schoolâs own director of facilities, âduring a routine inspection of the school he noticed electrical wires, temporary ductwork, and numerous computers that seemed out of placeâ.
The ducts and wiring were all headed towards the same place, ânear the schoolâs boiler roomâ, and checking under the floor there âa cryptocurrency mining operation that was illegally plugged into the schoolâs electrical systemâ was discovered.
As you can see in the image above, provided by local police, while this wasnât a warehouse-sized operationâ11 computers in total were discovered, including some âinside âcoolersâ that vented to the outdoorsââthat was still a significant amount of hardware to be found hiding under a schoolâs floors. And it was drawing more than enough power to leave a trace.
Authorities say that the mining setup operated from April to December 2021, and racked up electricity bills for the school estimated at around $17,500. Nahas, who plead not guilty in a court appearance last week, resigned from his job as assistant facilities director shortly after the operation was discovered. He was arrested last year after a months-long investigation that involved not just local police, but the US Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security as well.
The Boston Globe say Nahasâ specific charges are vandalizing a school and fraudulent use of electricity, and he has been âordered to stay away from all public buildings in Cohassettâ.
