Meanwhile, in Taiwan, two men, surnamed Wang and Su, hacked electricity meters to lower expenses while they rented properties in the city of Kaohsiung and the northern district of Hsinchu to house their Bitcoin farms. They were found out in December 2018 by a significant jump in electricity consumption. Taiwan Power Company sued Wang and Su for stealing utilities, with the team led by Wang owner leaving a bill of NT$14.72 million – a crime of fraudulent damage to property. In January 2021, the Qiaotou District Court ruled that Wang and others owed NT$7.8 million in damages.
In court, Wang explained that the recorded meter readings were not representative of the actual consumption, citing violations in the calculation of proposed charges by Taiwan Power, and pointing out that not everything was in use 24 hours a day. Su claimed he was not a registered utility account holder and simply helped tamper with the electricity meters but was not actually responsible for the actual electricity use. As a result of their defences, both men were convicted of electricity theft, and sentenced (although they still had the right to appeal the compensation amount, and other elements of their sentencing).
The case ends with both of them sentenced for an undisclosed period of time (two and a half years for Wang and two years for Su, neither of which is commutable) by accepting guilt before the final trial. It seems that electricity theft and fraud of cryptocurrency mining carries serious legal consequences.
Source: Liberty Times Net
