Illegal crypto mining found hidden under school floor
A man has been arrested and faces charges in a small town outside Boston after local authorities discovered ‘an illegal cryptocurrency mining operation’ hidden away under the floor of a school.
As BBC reportwas the accused – 39-year-old Nadeam Nahas – former assistant director of facilities for the small town of Cohasset, which is about 10 miles outside of Boston. In December 2021, a “routine inspection” of the school showed some suspicious changes.
Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley told the BBC that according to Cohasset High School’s own director of facilities, “during a routine inspection of the school he noticed electrical wiring, temporary ductwork and numerous computers that appeared out of place”.
The ducts and wires were all heading to the same location, “near the school’s boiler room,” and check under the floor where “a cryptocurrency mining operation illegally connected to the school’s electrical system” was discovered.
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As you can see in the image above, provided by local police, while this wasn’t a warehouse-sized operation – a total of 11 computers were discovered, including some “internal ‘coolers’ that vented to the outdoors” – it was still a significant amount of hardware hiding under the school’s floors. And it drew more than enough current to leave a mark.
Authorities say the mine setup operated from April to December 2021, running up electricity bills for the school estimated at about $17,500. Nahas, who pleaded 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 only local police, but also the US Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security.
Boston Globe say Nahas’ specific charges are vandalizing a school and fraudulent use of electricity, and he has been “ordered to stay away from all public buildings in Cohassett.”
