Irkutsk Regional Psychiatric Hospital No. 2

History

2023: Detection of illegal mining farms

Law enforcement agencies found an illegal mining farm in the attic of one of the buildings of psychiatric hospital No. 2 of the Irkutsk region. The prosecutor's office seized equipment in the amount of 13 pieces of ASIC miners, according to the initiated case under Art. 165 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (causing property damage by abuse of trust). This was announced on February 3, 2023 by the press service of the prosecutor's office of the Irkutsk region.

Two mining farms were found connected to the electric networks of a psychiatric hospital above the treatment buildings. This created a risk of an emergency and harm to patients. It is previously known that above the two rooms where patients are kept there were boxes with 5 and 8 machines for the production of cryptocurrency. Who they belong to, as well as the damage caused, are being established. The equipment was seized, according to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Irkutsk Region.

Crypto farm work for several months. In addition to electricity and the Internet, a video surveillance system was installed in the equipment area for security. The head physician and the staff of the institution deny any involvement in the work of the crypto farm.

On this basis, the prosecutor's office made a submission in connection with improper control over the targeted spending of budget funds and opened a case on an administrative offense under Art. 20.4 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation (violation of fire safety requirements). After the intervention of the prosecutor's office and other departments, illegal mining activities were suppressed, the prosecutor's office said.

Irkutsk region is one of the most popular among miners in the regions due to low electricity tariffs. In addition to industrial mining of cryptocurrency, in the region, many residents also mine in residential buildings and other places where power grids are not adapted to increased loads, which leads to overloads and accidents.^[1]

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