Chinese man jailed for 3.5 years after stealing electricity to mine bitcoin

[BLAST2MARS]

A man in China has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison after stealing electricity from a train network in order to mine bitcoin. Xu Xinghua from Shanxi province pleaded guilty to stealing 104,000 yuan (£11,300), which was used to mine 3.2 bitcoins. Given the current price of bitcoin, 3.2 bitcoins is worth only a little more than what was stolen, however in times past it would be worth a lot more.

(this is the article : https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/bitcoin-mining-china-prison-train-electricity-cryptocurrency-energy-environment-a8577791.html)

A very bad decision. He could have just do trading and then use the profit of what he will get to start his mining business. It's a train network so what was he thinking? The management will find it out easily. But then again, he can hold all those bitcoins that he mined and when he gets out, he'll be a chinese millionaire for sure.

[palle11]

There are so many in China that steal and don't get caught

That is simply to say , "all days are for the thief and one day is for the owner". He has been caught and penalized maximally which is meant to scare other intending thieves away. He must have violated a section of the Chinese law or rule whose penalty is also known or inscribed therein.

[Capt00]

There are so many in China that steal and don't get caught

That is simply to say , "all days are for the thief and one day is for the owner". He has been caught and penalized maximally which is meant to scare other intending thieves away. He must have violated a section of the Chinese law or rule whose penalty is also known or inscribed therein.

Yes, I agreed with you, probably there's one time that they are caught and penalized by the authority. Not now, but for sure time to time they were busted and jailed for how many years. Stealing in government property is easy to trace them so, that is not a good idea at all.
You can work hard without stealing that makes ruined your life.

[marcbitcoins]

I thought that electricity is much cheaper in this country as they have lot of power plant specially nuclear powerplant https://www.euronuclear.org/info/encyclopedia/n/nuclear-power-plant-world-wide.htm. therefore there is no need to be against the law but maybe the man is just trying to earn huge thru mining that is why he do that but still stealing is a crime and punishable by law so hopefully Chinese people will refrain from doing it.

[happy5571]

[quote/]But let us consider other factors such as:
-Inflation Rate
-Lost time serving in jail
-and of course having a criminal record in your resume

He may look like he is not paying much for the crimes he committed but this guy's future is inevitable ruined. Most employers if not hire you will give you a lesser role because you have been to jail that is why having a criminal record would definitely destroy your future, and I think 1,800$ is really not worth it, this person after serving his time will now have a hard time of earning money.
[/quote]

It‘s absolutely a bad thing for his applying for a job in the future if a resume contains a criminal record. Through, we also see this from another aspect. Given he has not paid any compensation for his crime committed, that is to say, he still has at least 3.2 BTC during the period of severing the jail. When he went out after 3.5years, the price of BTC may up to Unimaginably expensive level, then he may earn much more money. With that money, they can independently start his own business and do not need to work for another company.
In this way, it is also a good choice. Hope that he does not commit the crime.

[orions.belt19]

I thought that electricity is much cheaper in this country as they have lot of power plant specially nuclear powerplant https://www.euronuclear.org/info/encyclopedia/n/nuclear-power-plant-world-wide.htm. therefore there is no need to be against the law but maybe the man is just trying to earn huge thru mining that is why he do that but still stealing is a crime and punishable by law so hopefully Chinese people will refrain from doing it.

Even if electricity were cheaper, it would still be illegal to steal electricity to mine bitcoin. Mining takes up a large consumption of electricity, so something like that would definitely alarm the authorities. The original intent for the elctricity was not for mining bitcoin, so when it was used for other purposes, it’s then considered as stealing. The man was probably trying to save from the cost of electricity by doing so.

[milewilda]

I thought that electricity is much cheaper in this country as they have lot of power plant specially nuclear powerplant https://www.euronuclear.org/info/encyclopedia/n/nuclear-power-plant-world-wide.htm. therefore there is no need to be against the law but maybe the man is just trying to earn huge thru mining that is why he do that but still stealing is a crime and punishable by law so hopefully Chinese people will refrain from doing it.

Even if electricity were cheaper, it would still be illegal to steal electricity to mine bitcoin. Mining takes up a large consumption of electricity, so something like that would definitely alarm the authorities. The original intent for the elctricity was not for mining bitcoin, so when it was used for other purposes, it’s then considered as stealing. The man was probably trying to save from the cost of electricity by doing so.

No matter what purpose you do make use of that electricity as long you do pay then it wont really cause any problems to you.No matter on where you would
used it as long you do obliged yourself to pay on whats being used. Even you do just tap that wire and consuming 1-2 digit KwH then it would be always considered
as stealing and other forms of it would always be illegal.Therefore, going to jail is just a common consequence for those who violates.

[gantez]

The man was probably trying to save from the cost of electricity by doing so.

He of course would be familiar with the punishment. If he tries to save cost and succeeds, he excess profit won't also reflect in his tax. That is if he is not a tax invader. It is nice that people do the right thing for a better living.

[Baofeng]

I thought that electricity is much cheaper in this country as they have lot of power plant specially nuclear powerplant https://www.euronuclear.org/info/encyclopedia/n/nuclear-power-plant-world-wide.htm. therefore there is no need to be against the law but maybe the man is just trying to earn huge thru mining that is why he do that but still stealing is a crime and punishable by law so hopefully Chinese people will refrain from doing it.

The keyword is stealing, that's why the man is punished by the Chinese government.

And yeah, maybe 'greed' also is a factor, he wanted to mined more bitcoin that he is capable with, and well his re-course is to take advantage but unfortunately, he was caught and sentence to 3.5 years. It is worth it? No, what he did is really against the law and is punishable. And I'm sure he once he get out, he will go back to crypto but I don't know if he is going to solo mine or not at the difficulty will go up 2020 plus he needs to buy new model of mining hardware. 

[sheenshane]

I thought that electricity is much cheaper in this country as they have lot of power plant specially nuclear powerplant https://www.euronuclear.org/info/encyclopedia/n/nuclear-power-plant-world-wide.htm. therefore there is no need to be against the law but maybe the man is just trying to earn huge thru mining that is why he do that but still stealing is a crime and punishable by law so hopefully Chinese people will refrain from doing it.

The keyword is stealing, that's why the man is punished by the Chinese government.
snip-

Well, maybe really used to steal electricity that we call "jumpering" in our country. This guy stole electricity but wasn't contented. To earn from the resources he stole, He used it to mine. What the heck is that?

Using electricity and it will be billed to others is a crime. A big crime. I am more concerned about the people he stole the line. I wonder how did they react when the bill comes at their door and had big bills.

[imstillthebest]

I thought that electricity is much cheaper in this country as they have lot of power plant specially nuclear powerplant https://www.euronuclear.org/info/encyclopedia/n/nuclear-power-plant-world-wide.htm. therefore there is no need to be against the law but maybe the man is just trying to earn huge thru mining that is why he do that but still stealing is a crime and punishable by law so hopefully Chinese people will refrain from doing it.

The keyword is stealing, that's why the man is punished by the Chinese government.
snip-

Well, maybe really used to steal electricity that we call "jumpering" in our country. This guy stole electricity but wasn't contented. To earn from the resources he stole, He used it to mine. What the heck is that?

Using electricity and it will be billed to others is a crime. A big crime. I am more concerned about the people he stole the line. I wonder how did they react when the bill comes at their door and had big bills.

the same event happend to us  , we are shocked that our electric bills got expensive unexpectedly even if we are still using the same gadgets and appliances eventually we found out that we have been "jumpered" jumpering or jumper is also the word to describe when someone is stealling electricity on our country/place    .  the guy in the news was genius but he uses his special ability in a bad way  .

[Hamphser]

I thought that electricity is much cheaper in this country as they have lot of power plant specially nuclear powerplant https://www.euronuclear.org/info/encyclopedia/n/nuclear-power-plant-world-wide.htm. therefore there is no need to be against the law but maybe the man is just trying to earn huge thru mining that is why he do that but still stealing is a crime and punishable by law so hopefully Chinese people will refrain from doing it.

The keyword is stealing, that's why the man is punished by the Chinese government.
snip-

Well, maybe really used to steal electricity that we call "jumpering" in our country. This guy stole electricity but wasn't contented. To earn from the resources he stole, He used it to mine. What the heck is that?

Using electricity and it will be billed to others is a crime. A big crime. I am more concerned about the people he stole the line. I wonder how did they react when the bill comes at their door and had big bills.

the same event happend to us  , we are shocked that our electric bills got expensive unexpectedly even if we are still using the same gadgets and appliances eventually we found out that we have been "jumpered" jumpering or jumper is also the word to describe when someone is stealling electricity on our country/place    .  the guy in the news was genius but he uses his special ability in a bad way  .

You would really be shocked in your electricity bills because mining operation do really consumes a lot and when the price of electricity on your place is high then
you would surely have a headache and been wondering on where those consumptions came from. Stealing electricity is really a big crime even here on my country too which suspect
would really face up several years of imprisonment.

[Kemarit]

I thought that electricity is much cheaper in this country as they have lot of power plant specially nuclear powerplant https://www.euronuclear.org/info/encyclopedia/n/nuclear-power-plant-world-wide.htm. therefore there is no need to be against the law but maybe the man is just trying to earn huge thru mining that is why he do that but still stealing is a crime and punishable by law so hopefully Chinese people will refrain from doing it.

The keyword is stealing, that's why the man is punished by the Chinese government.
snip-

Well, maybe really used to steal electricity that we call "jumpering" in our country. This guy stole electricity but wasn't contented. To earn from the resources he stole, He used it to mine. What the heck is that?

Using electricity and it will be billed to others is a crime. A big crime. I am more concerned about the people he stole the line. I wonder how did they react when the bill comes at their door and had big bills.

You can't really underestimate people's stupidity and this is one classic example. How the hell it even crosses someone's mind to steal just to mine bitcoin for his own good? And on top of jail sentencing, he needs to pay a fine of 100,000 yuan (£10,930). You lost your freedom for three years and then you lost your mining gear and I'm sure by that time you get out, it's already obsolete and then you lost money here. How stupid move is that?

[pixie85]

Using electricity and it will be billed to others is a crime. A big crime. I am more concerned about the people he stole the line. I wonder how did they react when the bill comes at their door and had big bills.

They won't have to pay the bill. When someone steals your car and hits a pedestrian you are not responsible. People who he was stealing from aren't either and no court will sentence them. He probably wasn't stealing from another person but straight from the street connection. It's much more difficult to tap into someone's house.

[goaldigger]

A man in China has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison after stealing electricity from a train network in order to mine bitcoin. Xu Xinghua from Shanxi province pleaded guilty to stealing 104,000 yuan (£11,300), which was used to mine 3.2 bitcoins. Given the current price of bitcoin, 3.2 bitcoins is worth only a little more than what was stolen, however in times past it would be worth a lot more.

(this is the article : https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/bitcoin-mining-china-prison-train-electricity-cryptocurrency-energy-environment-a8577791.html)

Hevs a little bit odd though. Why cant you steel electricity on your neighbor instead? Train network is a big deal. The difference between the number of miners then and now are lesser because of this. Mining needs a lot of power and ofcourse its expensive. The profit of the miners are lesser than their expenses.

[bitcoinisbest]

This is a serious offence and stealing anything of public or government property will lead to such results and accordingly the government will take the due course of actions prescribed  under that country law . I think people should refrain from such acts which could spoil their career if they do such things .

[ethereumhunter]

Once the person knows that bitcoin is worth, he will do many things to get or earn bitcoin and maybe that is the reason why he steals electricity to mine bitcoin. That man knows that bitcoin can give him a lot of money, but unfortunately, he uses the wrong way to earn bitcoin and now makes him to jail. It's not good for his life because he cannot continue to earn bitcoin but if he changes his mind in the past, maybe right now, he can be a rich person in his town.

[eaLiTy]

You can't really underestimate people's stupidity and this is one classic example. How the hell it even crosses someone's mind to steal just to mine bitcoin for his own good? And on top of jail sentencing, he needs to pay a fine of 100,000 yuan (£10,930). You lost your freedom for three years and then you lost your mining gear and I'm sure by that time you get out, it's already obsolete and then you lost money here. How stupid move is that?

People does these stupid things in order to make profit, if he was running the miner and he will not end up in a profit and so is the reason he found a short cut to make easy money and i am sure there were many illegal mining being done around the world with stolen electricity and i have heard about people getting busted in news in the past few years and most of these illegal mining farms are common in Asian countries.

[Daveprofile]

Honestly, this is so sad to hear. He would have searched for another genuine source to mine. People are generally not just sincere. Some companies are working on renewable forms of energy to mine Bitcoins. Companies like Future Energy. I don't know what else to say.

[greeklogos]

Well, its a crime and it should be punished. Maybe some of users will say that 3,5 years for such innocent kind of crime is too much, but Chinese laws are generally rough and I am not surprised of this.