A former executive of the Electric Grid in Russia has lost approximately ₽7 million (about $ 88,570) in Bitcoin after the law agents seized their stash.
According to a press release from Research Committee For the Oblast Amur, the man, once in charge of the technological connection services in the distribution company of the East, used his internal knowledge to take advantage of the mining platforms in his own home.
A measurement device in 2024 supposedly overlooked, stealing more than ₽3.5 million (about $ 44,334) in electricity to extract around 0.8414 BTC.
The operation came to light when the officers of the main federal investigation agency of Russia, who work with the Federal Security Service, raided their property and took control of their digital wallet.
Details of the raid
According to the reports of the Amur branch of the distribution company of the Far East, the researchers tracked the unusual use of energy in the residence of the former executive.
They say he made an illegal connection with his employer’s network facilities and hid the additional load of the meters. When the agents moved, they found multiple mining platforms established in their residential building. These machines had already produced approximately 0.8414 BTC, which was valued at approximately ₽7 million at the time of seizure.
Electricity and Mining theft
According to the researchers, the man took advantage of the DRSC distribution network without permission. He avoided regular billing by changing the electricity lines and deceiving the meters. Over time, this joined more than ₽3.5 million in stolen electricity invoices.
With that free power, he was able to undermine Bitcoin in a space that looked like any other apartment. The press release said he used his role to approve false connections for others and skimmed electricity for himself.
In addition to cryptographic mining, the officers discovered that they had taken bribes of the local business owners, who paid it to accelerate the approvals of energy -related documents.
Crypto mining requires a lot of energy, and thousands of specialized computers to run almost round the clock. Image: Christinne Muschi/Alamy
Obstacles and legal changes
Undermine or maintain bitcoin has been complicated in Russia because cryptocurrency is not clear legal status. According to reports, this case advanced because a bill, made public in April, is aimed at allowing law agents to deal with cryptographic assets as an intangible property in criminal cases.
If that bill becomes law, the courts could more easily order the seizure of Bitcoin and other digital tokens. Until then, the researchers have trusted the anti -theft and anti -corruption statutes to confiscate the cryptographic, as seen when they obtained $ 8.2 million in crypto of an Hydra Darknet operator or seized 1,032 BTC (approximately $ 88.5 million at today’s rates) of a former SKR researcher found of the fault of taking Bitco Bitco.
Broader repression in Russia
This arrest is just a part of a broader effort for Russia to reduce Illegal encryption activity. During the last year, the Russian authorities have gone after Darknet markets, internal merchants hidden behind cryptographic agreements and anyone who uses hacks to steal electricity for mining.
According to reports, federal agencies believe that taking advantage of the network to be able to make a common trick among local miners, especially in remote regions where supervision is weaker.
Outstanding image of Getty Images, Record of TrainingView
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