The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) has filed charges against two senior staff members of the Patterson Joint Unified School District, accusing them of operating a cryptocurrency mining operation within the premises of the district’s ten schools. 

美国司法部 (DoJ) 对帕特森联合联合学区的两名高级工作人员提出指控，指控他们在该学区的 10 所学校内开展加密货币挖矿业务。

Jeffrey Menge, the assistant superintendent and chief business officer, and Eric Drabert, the IT director, allegedly utilized school resources and increased electricity costs to mine cryptocurrency and transferred the proceeds to their crypto wallets.

据称，助理学监兼首席商务官杰弗里·门格（Jeffrey Menge）和 IT 总监埃里克·德拉伯特（Eric Drabert）利用学校资源和增加的电力成本来开采加密货币，并将收益转移到他们的加密钱包中。

Crypto mining operation unveiled

The DoJ alleges that Menge and Drabert purchased high-end graphics cards and employed them and other school district property and electricity to establish and maintain a cryptocurrency mining farm on school grounds. The specific number of schools involved in this operation has not been disclosed, though the district serves approximately 6,200 students across its ten schools.

加密货币挖矿业务揭晓 美国司法部声称，门格和德拉伯特购买了高端显卡，并利用它们以及其他学区的财产和电力在校园内建立和维护一个加密货币挖矿农场。尽管该学区的 10 所学校为大约 6,200 名学生提供服务，但参与此次行动的具体学校数量尚未披露。

The nature of the cryptocurrency mined in this operation remains undisclosed. However, some of the commonly mined cryptocurrencies include Bitcoin (BTC), Monero (XMR), Ravencoin (RVN), and Dogecoin (DOGE).

此次行动中开采的加密货币的性质仍未公开。然而，一些常见的加密货币包括比特币 (BTC)、门罗币 (XMR)、渡鸦币 (RVN) 和狗狗币 (DOGE)。

Cryptocurrency mining, particularly Bitcoin, is renowned for its significant energy consumption. According to recent data from CoinGecko, mining a single Bitcoin as a solo miner requires approximately 266,000 kilowatt-hours, equivalent to seven years of continuous electricity consumption at 143 kWh per month. The alleged crypto mining operation’s substantial electricity use has drawn attention and concern from authorities.

加密货币挖矿，尤其是比特币，以其巨大的能源消耗而闻名。根据 CoinGecko 的最新数据，作为单独矿工开采单个比特币大约需要 266,000 千瓦时，相当于每月 143 千瓦时连续 7 年的用电量。所谓的加密货币挖矿作业的大量用电量引起了当局的关注和担忧。

Embezzlement and fraud allegations

In addition to the crypto mining operation, the DoJ alleges that Menge embezzled between $1 million and $1.5 million. Drabert is accused of stealing between $250,000 and $300,000 during this scheme. These allegations compound the legal troubles facing the two senior staff members.

贪污和欺诈指控除了加密货币挖矿业务外，司法部还指控 Menge 贪污了 100 万至 150 万美元。德拉伯特被指控在该计划中盗窃了 25 万至 30 万美元。这些指控加剧了两名高级工作人员面临的法律麻烦。

This case comes amidst a broader crackdown on cryptocurrency miners in the United States. On February 1, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) mandated that crypto miners report their energy consumption for six months. This initiative addresses concerns about the increasing energy consumption associated with the surge in Bitcoin prices, which has led to a proliferation of crypto mining activities.

此案发生之际，美国正对加密货币矿工进行更广泛的打击。 2 月 1 日，美国能源部 (DOE) 要求加密货币矿工报告六个月的能源消耗情况。这一举措解决了人们对比特币价格飙升导致能源消耗增加的担忧，比特币价格飙升导致了加密货币挖矿活动的激增。

Furthermore, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has announced plans to launch a survey to measure the electricity usage of local crypto-mining companies. This survey will require miners to provide detailed information about their energy consumption, marking a significant step toward monitoring and regulating energy-intensive crypto-mining operations.

此外，美国能源信息管理局（EIA）宣布计划开展一项调查，衡量当地加密货币挖矿公司的用电量。这项调查将要求矿工提供有关其能源消耗的详细信息，这标志着朝着监控和监管能源密集型加密货币挖矿业务迈出了重要一步。

It’s not just the United States; regulators worldwide are ceasing their efforts to control excessive electricity consumption from cryptocurrency mining. This concern arises from the environmental impact and strain on energy resources associated with the cryptocurrency industry’s rapid growth.

不仅仅是美国；世界各地的监管机构正在停止努力控制加密货币挖矿的过度电力消耗。这种担忧源于与加密货币行业快速增长相关的环境影响和能源压力。