A man was prosecuted for stealing electricity worth 77,425.4 yuan in more than three months for mining

According to the official WeChat account of Fengxian Procuratorate on December 10, when it comes to the crime of theft, everyone’s first reaction may be stealing some valuable tangible items, but in fact, stealing items such as "electricity" and "gas" may also constitute theft.

Shao is a staff member of a power supply business station in Fengxian District. On the morning of June 7, 2021, Shao received a work order to routinely check whether there was electricity theft in a certain area. When Shao checked every household, he found mining machines and other machines in a private house. The electric meters connected to these machines were three-phase direct-connected electricity theft, so he called the police.

After investigation, it was found that in March 2021, the suspect Xu rented a 300-square-meter house. The house itself had an electric meter installed by the power company, but Xu removed the meter after renting it. Xu placed 16 mining machines in the house. These mining machines run 24 hours a day and consume a lot of electricity. In order to avoid paying the electricity bill, Xu bypassed the meter and connected the current directly to the mining machine, so that no electricity bill would be generated when the mining machine was running.

From February 23, 2021 to June 7, 2021, while renting the house, the suspect Xu stole a total of RMB 77,425.4 worth of electricity by making unauthorized connections to the power supply facilities.

The criminal suspect Xu secretly stole public and private property for the purpose of illegal possession, and the amount was huge. His behavior has violated the criminal law and is suspected of theft. On November 9, 2021, the Fengxian District People's Procuratorate filed a public prosecution against him in accordance with the law.

In addition to compensating the victim's economic losses, Xu also had to be sentenced to a certain term of imprisonment and a corresponding fine. In the end, not only did he not save a penny on electricity bills, but he also had a criminal record. Xu bypassed the power grid, but he could not escape the law. Don't ignore the law for the sake of a small advantage. Once you make a big mistake, it will be too late to regret.