Massachusetts authorities have filed charges against 39-year-old Nadeam Nahas, a teacher at Cohasset High School, for conducting an elaborate crypto mining operation on school grounds. This scheme was uncovered when a town facilities inspector visited the school and noticed strange electrical connections in one room.
The Crypto Mining Device Was Hidden In the School’s Crawl Space.
The Cohasset Police Detectives were so perplexed by the many computers, cables, and makeshift ventilation systems spotted in a far-off area underneath the school that they launched an investigation into what was going on. According to Chief William Quigly’s statement for Gizmodo, this prompted further examination of what could have been a hidden crypto mining operation.
The town’s IT director raised the alarm, prompting police to call upon the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service and Department of Homeland Security for help in examining the crawl space beneath the school. With great caution, all equipment was taken out from there by teams that then spent three months looking into its source – leading them straight to Nadeam Nahas as a relevant individual in this case.
In December 2021, the authorities uncovered Nahas’ clandestine crypto mining setup that was illegal and funded by taxpayers. Cryptocurrency cannot be mined using conventional computer processors due to its high energy consumption needs–an amount of electricity too large for any home to provide without breaking the power grid. As such, specialized hardware is necessary to mine digital currency efficiently and cost-effectively.
The Teacher Might Be Charged with Fraudulent Use of Electricity and Vandalization
Larry Glazer, a renowned crypto specialist and managing partner of Mayflower Advisors in Boston, declared to CBS News that it’s close to impossible for residents from New England to profit from crypto mining at home due to the expensive electricity costs. Reflecting upon Nahas’ situation specifically, Glazer went on and further stated: “This case was ultimately an employee stealing energy from taxpayers and their community at large.”
Nadeam Nahas resigned from his position in early 2022 following a criminal complaint being filed for fraudulent use of electricity and school vandalism. He was expected to appear at Quincy District court on Thursday for the arraignment but failed to show up, resulting in the judge issuing an arrest warrant.
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