14,000 Illegal Bitcoin Miners Stole $1.​1 Billion in Electricity Since 2020

⚡ Billion-dollar mining heist

By CoinDesk
Dec 8, 2025, 3:12 PM

A government report exposed massive electricity theft by cryptocurrency miners operating without authorization.​

Key findings:

  • 14,000 illegal mining operations identified
  • $1.​1 billion worth of electricity stolen from national grid
  • Theft occurred over 5-year period starting in 2020

The scale of unauthorized power consumption highlights ongoing challenges with unregulated crypto mining activities draining public infrastructure resources.​

Sources
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