Out-of-place wires and temporary ductwork led detectives to the discovery of a man accused of stealing $18,000 in power for a hidden crypto mine.

The Department of Homeland Security was hired by a small Massachusetts town to find the person responsible for setting up an unauthorized bitcoin mining business in the crawl space of a middle school.

The director of facilities for Cohasset Middle/High School alerted the police in December 2021 after spotting errant electrical lines, computers, and makeshift ductwork, according to the Cohasset Police Department.

Detectives discovered a bitcoin mining operation connected to the school's electrical infrastructure in a crawl space with the help of the town's IT director.

The Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard Investigation Service were asked by the Cohasset Police Department to confiscate the computer and do a forensic analysis after they learned about the illicit mining setup.

During a three-month investigation, police named Nadeam Nahas, 39, the assistant director of facilities for the Municipality of Cohasset, as a suspect. Nahas left his position in 2022.

In Quincy District Court, Nahas was accused of damaging a school and making fraudulent use of electricity.  Nahas missed his court date on Thursday, according to the Boston-based affiliate of ABC, and a warrant for his arrest was issued as a result.  He is charged with stealing electricity worth about $18,000 from the school in question.