A Cohasset High School (Massachusetts) employee is alleged to be operating a “cryptocurrency mining operation” from underneath the school. Facing criminal charges, he reportedly accessed the school’s electrical system illegally for the said mining operation.
Per the investigators from the Cohasset Police Department, 39-year-old Nadeam Nahas is the accused charged with vandalism and fraudulent electricity usage. Failing to appear in court, Nahas is poised for an arrest, as a warrant is reportedly issued.
Reports reveal that in December 2021, the facilities director of the Cohasset Middle/High School came to know about the illegal mining setup. The director communicated the discovery of illegal wiring and ductwork in a school’s crawlspace to police. Per the findings of the detectives, to the illegal mining operation, Nahas had illegally connected the electric system of the school.
Cryptocurrency mining essentially creates digital currencies, such as Bitcoin. In the process, the verification of the transactions is done via a decentralized digital network (or a blockchain). Bypassing central authorities (like banks) for transactional management, for transactional validation, security, and records, a distributed computer network is used.
Using computers for solving mathematical problems via hardware and software, cryptocurrency mining used competing miners to problem-solving. As a reward, a fresh cryptocurrency and transaction fees are offered against verified transactions.
In the case of Nahas, the undue burden and cost of a high computational power used in crypto mining was on the Cohasset school. This resulted in soaring electricity bills. The investigators consulted the IT director of the town.
Consequently, along with the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service members, and the Department of Homeland Security sealed the equipment for forensic examination. A three-month long investigation resulted in the identification of Nadeam Nahas as a suspect.
Notably, in the first-half of 2022, Nahas, an ex-Cohasset assistant facilities chief, resigned as a town employee.
