A 27-year-old man from Canyon Country was arrested on suspicion of stealing Bitcoin mining computers valued at approximately $579,000. According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Bryan Thola was found to have the stolen devices in his cargo van and a public storage unit. He was detained on Thursday and released the next day, according to jail records. The authorities have released photos showing piles of computers inside a van and a storage unit.
These specialized computers are part of a global network that carries out the Bitcoin transaction verification process by running complex algorithms. These operations, known as Bitcoin mining, enable the miners to solve mathematical problems to add a new series of transactions (a block) to the blockchain.
It remains unclear how LAPD became aware of the allegedly stolen computers, as more details have not been disclosed at this time due to the ongoing investigation. The LAPD Commercial Crimes Division can be contacted for any relevant information, either during business hours (6 a.m. – 4 p.m.) at 213-486-5920, or after hours/weekends at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247). Those wishing to remain anonymous can call LA Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or visit LAPDOnline.org and submit a web tip.
The article was written by Marissa Wenzke, a journalist based in Los Angeles. Wenzke graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Santa Barbara and holds a graduate degree from Columbia Journalism School. More articles by Marissa Wenzke can be found on CBS News.