The crawl space at Cohasset Middle-High School where police say they discovered an illegal cryptocurrency mining rig. Photo: Cohasset Police Department
COHASSET, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — An arrest warrant has been issued for a Cohasset town employee accused of running a cryptocurrency mine on public school property.
The Norfolk County D.A.'s office said 39-year-old Nadeam Nahas skipped his arraignment on Thursday morning at Quincy District Court.
Cohasset Police said officials at Cohasset Middle-High School started to get suspicious in December 2021, when they found stray electrical wires and duct work that seemed out of place. Police said Cohasset officials eventually learned that a cryptocurrency mining rig was hidden in a school crawl space, illegally stealing power from the school's grid.
A police report obtained by WBZ NewsRadio said the estimated amount of electricity stolen was about $18,000 between April and December 2021. Police said the eleven GPUs typically used in crypto mining were discovered in the crawl space, along with coolers and other electrical equipment.
Police said some parts of the equipment in the crawl space were melted and singed.
Nahas was a town Assistant Facility Director until he resigned in March 2022. He's being charged with Fraudulent Use of Electricity and Vandalizing a School.
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App