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Christopher Naples, age 42, of Mattituck, was arraigned on multiple felony charges Wednesday, Sept. 8, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini.
Sini said Naples was charged with the following:
- Public corruption
- Third-degree grand larceny
- Computer trespass
- Official misconduct
“Mining cryptocurrency requires an enormous amount of resources, and miners have to navigate how to cover all of those electricity and cooling costs,” Sini said. “This defendant found a way to do it; unfortunately, it was on the backs of taxpayers. We will not allow County employees, who are already on the public’s payroll, to steal taxpayer money or illegally use government resources for their own personal gain.”
Sini said Naples has worked for the county since 2000.
Investigators found that Naples had been using county resources to run a mining operation for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies out of the County Center in Riverhead since February, the DA's Office reported.
Investigators seized 46 cryptocurrency mining devices while executing a search warrant at the County Center on Thursday, Aug. 19.
The DA's Office said at least 10 of the machines had been running since February, costing the county more than $6,000. Investigation into the operation and costs of the other devices is ongoing, Sini said.
Authorities are still investigating the amount and nature of proceeds Naples may have obtained from the operation, the DA's Office said.
Naples is due to appear in court again on Thursday, Sept. 16.
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