Five suspects have been indicted by prosecutors for stealing electricity for eight illegal bitcoin mining farms in Taichung worth about NT$76.83 million (US$2.41 million).
According to the Taichung District Court, the case dates back to March when the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB), acting on information from Taiwan Power Corp (Taipower), identified two bitcoin mining farms in Shigang and Shalu districts in Taichung as stealing electricity.
Both facilities were managed and built by a man surnamed Huang (黃).
The police determined that the mining operation was part of a bigger scheme and launched a larger investigation in cooperation with prosecutors.
In May, prosecutors and police found that Huang had built three other bitcoin mining farms in Taichung’s South (南區), Central (中區) and Dali (大里) districts, which were also stealing power.
Following the court’s permission, police detained Huang.
While collecting evidence, the police found three other mining farms in Taichung’s North (北區), Central and Situn (西屯) districts.
From July to September, the investigation continued and four people were arrested, including an investor in the operation surnamed Cheng (鄭), Cheng’s wife surnamed Su (蘇), another bitcoin mining farm builder, also surnamed Huang (黃), as well as an individual who rented the locations.
Seven hundred machines were confiscated in raids conducted from March to September, police said.
Prosecutors are to demand the court’s permission to seize the NT$4 million in profit that the operation made and make the five suspects pay for the cost of the electricity they stole, amounting to NT$76.83 million, Taipower said.
At the same time, prosecutors said that the wiring in two of the bitcoin farms was dangerously close to being burned through.
Public safety would have been severely impacted in the event of a fire, and so prosecutors have asked the court to hand down heavy sentences to everyone involved.
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