Crypto-mining scheme run from US school crawl space

[Gordon_R]

Crypto-mining scheme run from US school crawl space

Police were called after a janitor noticed electrical wires, ductwork and computers that looked amiss.

www.bbc.com

Nadeam Nahas, 39, who was an assistant facilities director in Cohasset, pleaded not guilty in court on Friday.

He is charged with fraudulent use of electricity and vandalising Cohasset High School, just outside Boston.

Authorities were first alerted to the possible crypto-mining operation in December 2021, said Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley in a statement to the BBC.

Mr Quigley said the operation was being run from a remote crawl space that was discovered beneath Cohasset High School by its director of facilities.

"Detectives interviewed the director, who said that during a routine inspection of the school he noticed electrical wires, temporary ductwork, and numerous computers that seemed out of place," Mr Quigley said.

After a three-month investigation with the help of the US Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security, police identified the suspect as Mr Nahas.

The mining operation had been running from April to December 2021, and cost the high school about $17,500 in electricity, according to court records seen by the Boston Globe.