Two Chinese Men Get Nearly 15 Years Combined for Stealing Power to Mine Bitcoin

Bitcoin mining consumes large amounts of electricity over extended periods. Operating a mining site with stolen power not only harms electricity providers and oilfield infrastructure but may also endanger the high-voltage grid. Two men in Heilongjiang, China, converted an abandoned pigsty into a mining site, installed 36 mining rigs and illegally tapped an oilfield’s high-voltage power line, leading to their prosecution for theft.

A court in Daqing, Heilongjiang province, recently found that the defendants had stolen more than 1 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. They were sentenced to 10 years and four years and 10 months in prison, respectively, for a combined 14 years and 10 months. Available reports did not disclose the exact dates of the offense or sentencing, the value of the stolen electricity in yuan, or their mining proceeds.