New York County IT Supervisor accused of mining Bitcoin at KIRO 7 County office

[ad_1]

RIVERHEAD, NY – An information technology supervisor for a New York County is accused of mining cryptocurrency from government offices, which has cost the county government at least $ 6,000 in bills electricity, prosecutors said.

>> Read more trending news

According to prosecutors, Christopher Naples, 42, of Mattituck, hid 46 specialized devices used to mine Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in six rooms at the Suffolk County Center in Riverhead, The New York Times reported. Naples worked in the county clerk’s office as deputy director of IT operations, the newspaper reported.

According to the Associated Press, Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini said Naples was charged with public bribery, robbery and computer intrusion.

Christopher Naples is accused of hiding 46 devices used to mine cryptocurrency at Suffolk County offices, which cost the county thousands of dollars in electricity. https://t.co/feQZ4lcYvj

– NYT Metro (@NYTMetro) September 8, 2021

Naples, who has worked for Suffolk County since 2000, appeared in court on Wednesday and was released on their own recognizance. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to the AP and The Times.

If found guilty on the main charge, Naples could face up to 15 years in prison, the Times reported.

Mining cryptocurrency requires a huge amount of resources, and miners must figure out how to cover all those electricity and cooling costs, Sini said in a statement announcing the arrest. Naples has found a way to do it; unfortunately, it was on the backs of taxpayers, Sini said.

Mining cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, is a complicated process that lies at the heart of the difference between cryptocurrencies and traditional currencies, the Times reported.

While traditional currencies are backed by the government, the value of cryptocurrencies is guaranteed by their network of users, according to the newspaper.

The process of mining cryptocurrency requires a large amount of electricity to power the necessary devices, the Times reported. The newspaper noted earlier this month that the amount of electricity used to create Bitcoin each year exceeds the amount used by Finland.

Prosecutors said at least 10 of the machines in Naples had been in operation since February, costing Suffolk County more than $ 6,000, according to the Times. Sini said that amount could be much higher since 36 more machines had been discovered, the newspaper reported.

2021 Cox Media Group

[ad_2]