Two Men in Heilongjiang, China Sentenced for Illegally Mining Bitcoin Using High Voltage Lines in Pigsty, Main Perpetrator Receives 10-Year Prison Term

**Daqing Court Sentences Two for Stealing Oil Field Electricity to Mine Bitcoin** April 3rd — A court in Heilongjiang’s Daqing City has jailed two men for stealing electricity from an oil field to run Bitcoin mining machines, China Newsweek reported. The Honggang District People’s Court sentenced Zhang to 10 years in prison and Zhao to four years and 10 months on theft charges, per the recently released first-instance judgment. Prosecutors found that on September 8, 2024, Zhang illegally tapped into high-voltage lines owned by an oil extraction plant of a Daqing limited liability company. He used the stolen power to operate 24 Bitcoin mining machines at an abandoned pigsty on a slaughterhouse he rented. Zhang later recruited Zhao to join, increasing the total number of machines to 36. The pair acted for illegal profit, the court ruled. Case details are also posted on China Judgments Online.