[2018-03-02] Louisiana Officials Probe Staffers for Bitcoin Mining

[PIMPdev]

The attorney general of the U.S. state of Louisiana is reportedly investigating a group of former staffers for using official resources to mine cryptocurrencies.

According to a report from the Tribune News Service, officials in Louisiana have yet to publicly comment on the rumored investigation. Yet sources told the publication that the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation began asking questions after discovering "hardware that they believed could have been used in the so-called mining of bitcoin."

"We were worried that the (computer) systems may have been compromised," one source told the news outlet. Some of the employees, whose names were not published, have reportedly denied that they engaged in the energy-intensive mining process, through which new coins are minted.

If confirmed, the investigation would be the latest to emerge in recent years regarding the suspected use of public-office resources to mine cryptocurrencies.

In January 2017, for example, Federal Reserve's Office of the Inspector General fined a former staffer $5,000 after being caught mining bitcoins on a server owned by the U.S. central bank between 2012 and 2014. Later that year, New York's Department of Education sanctioned an employee for mining bitcoins on their work computer between March and April 2014.

https://www.coindesk.com/report-louisiana-officials-probe-staffers-mining-bitcoin-work/

[InvoKing]

The attorney general of the U.S. state of Louisiana is reportedly investigating a group of former staffers for using official resources to mine cryptocurrencies.

According to a report from the Tribune News Service, officials in Louisiana have yet to publicly comment on the rumored investigation. Yet sources told the publication that the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation began asking questions after discovering "hardware that they believed could have been used in the so-called mining of bitcoin."

"We were worried that the (computer) systems may have been compromised," one source told the news outlet. Some of the employees, whose names were not published, have reportedly denied that they engaged in the energy-intensive mining process, through which new coins are minted.

If confirmed, the investigation would be the latest to emerge in recent years regarding the suspected use of public-office resources to mine cryptocurrencies.

In January 2017, for example, Federal Reserve's Office of the Inspector General fined a former staffer $5,000 after being caught mining bitcoins on a server owned by the U.S. central bank between 2012 and 2014. Later that year, New York's Department of Education sanctioned an employee for mining bitcoins on their work computer between March and April 2014.

https://www.coindesk.com/report-louisiana-officials-probe-staffers-mining-bitcoin-work/

Someone could just retire after paying as tiny amount as $5,000
It seems that people trying to make some profit with free electricity + free hardware but it isn't that easy to hide the noise + the electricity bill from your institution / boss.
The real problem for everyone imo is scripts running in the background which could be hard to detect sometimes.

[Coffee135]

There are a lot of such cases. Not everyone can afford to buy expensive equipment for the mining of cryptocurrencies. But in America, the punishment for such actions is adequate. Recently in Russia there was a similar case, but for the production of coins was used a supercomputer in a secret Institute. Now, programmers are accused of treason. The sentence can be up to 20 years in prison.

[InvoKing]

Recently in Russia there was a similar case, but for the production of coins was used a supercomputer in a secret Institute. Now, programmers are accused of treason. The sentence can be up to 20 years in prison.

They are lucky that they are not sentenced to death or sent to swim in the deep ocean with a rock tied in their feet
20 years seems nothing imo, supercomputer & secret Institute in mother Russia oO