Cryptocurrency was mined at a military base in Spain. Now, a captain has been convicted for his involvement.
The title image is a symbolic image.
What did the captain do? As Spanish media reports, the central military court of Spain has convicted a captain in Zaragoza for allowing the private use of official resources (Source: Genbeta).
The captain in question was involved as the head of the IT unit of a barracks in Zaragoza, allowing a sergeant major to set up an IT system for “private purposes” in a storage room of the barracks. The relevant location was a storage for IT systems. The sergeant major is accused of using the space for mining cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
Mining cryptocurrencies requires enormous computing power, which necessitates powerful hardware and consumes large amounts of electricity. The sergeant major is said to have used the barracks’ power grid to mine crypto and enrich himself financially at the military’s expense.
For this purpose, there was reportedly a bypass from the main fuse box of the building into the room, as well as a dedicated circuit breaker to circumvent the normal activation of the building’s security. Investigators also allegedly discovered an uninterruptible power supply system and soundproof wooden boxes with ventilation systems for the computers.
Captain not only allowed it but assisted
How was the captain involved? The captain allegedly allowed the sergeant major, out of friendship, to install private equipment in the room. He reportedly granted him access multiple times, and the equipment had already been stored there for many months.
However, the captain is said not only to have approved the installation and power connection but also to have turned the fuse back on himself when there was a power outage.
Witness testimony is said to confirm that the captain approved the installation and operated the fuses. The accused captain even admitted to using the room for training on blockchain installation but claimed it was for “academic work.”
This is now the punishment: After the accused captain was sentenced to a disciplinary measure of 8 daily allowances, he filed an appeal with the Chief of Staff of the Spanish Army. This was, however, denied. Subsequently, the captain went before the central military court of Spain and filed an appeal against the decision, but the military court also confirmed the punishment. This means that 8 days’ salary will be deducted from the captain’s pay as punishment.
Currently unclear are the consequences for the sergeant major. It is not known whether he received a punishment and, if so, what that punishment entails.
The Spanish sergeant major is not the only one mining cryptocurrencies at others’ electricity expenses. In a small town in the USA, a janitor tampered with the power grid of a school: 39-year-old janitor operates illegal crypto mine under his school – Caught due to a silly mistake
