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In Russia's Altai Republic, an IT expert who worked for a medical facility was arrested for unlawfully mining unspecified crypto tokens on the grounds of a Covid-19 hospital. Before law enforcement authorities raided his crypto farm, the guy manufactured digital currency using stolen power for over a year.
Arrested for Underground Crypto Mining Facility
For establishing a cryptocurrency farm within a medical institution, a worker at the republican hospital in Gorno-Altaysk, the capital city of the Altai Republic in southern Siberia, has been detained. He has been operating the mining equipment since the beginning of last year. As reported by the RBC, the individual, who held the position of head information security specialist, installed the coin-minting equipment in February 2021 and linked it to the hospital servers, which had previously been used to treat patients with Covid-19. According to a statement from the Federal Security Service (FSB) regional office, the mining equipment operated for almost a year on stolen energy and caused losses of more than 400,000 rubles.
Combined Forces of Internal Affairs Ministry and FSB
The Ministry of Internal Affairs ultimately combined forces with the national security agency, the FSB. The parties raided the hospital together and searched for the suspect’s place of residence. Police and FSB officials found mining machines and other computer hardware during searches of the suspect's house. According to the Russian Federation's Criminal Code, the crypto miner, whose name has not been made public, may spend up to two years in prison. In light of the increased acceptance of crypto mining as a viable alternative source of income for many commoners in Russia, the Altai case has been solved. It is now a standard practice to mint digital currency in basements, garages, dachas, and even government buildings, especially in areas with cheap, subsidized power, such as Siberian oblasts like Irkutsk.