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Police recover stolen bitcoin mining computers worth $579,000

Equipment inside a van and a storage unit.
Police found what looked to be dozens of computer towers stacked in a cargo van and a public storage unit.
(Los Angeles Police Department)
By Sandra McDonald
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Los Angeles police have arrested a Canyon Country man on suspicion of possessing $579,000 in stolen bitcoin mining computers.

Bryan Thola, 26, was released on his own recognizance from a Van Nuys jail early Friday morning, according to inmate jail records. He was arrested on suspicion of possessing stolen property, a felony.

Police found what looked to be dozens of computer towers stacked in Thola’s cargo van and a public storage unit.

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Bitcoin mining computers are specialized devices that create new units of cryptocurrency by solving difficult mathematical puzzles using trial and error. The more computers you have, the faster you can create more bitcoin. Bitcoin miners make sure each transaction is verified within minutes and publicly available, according to Fidelity Investments.

LAPD Lt. Michael McComas said the investigation was ongoing and he could not release any other information about the case or the stolen computers. Police ask anyone with information to call the LAPD Commercial Crimes Division at (213) 486-5920.

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Sandra McDonald

Sandra McDonald is a summer intern with the Fast Break Desk, the Los Angeles Times’ breaking news team. She grew up in north central Florida, just an hour south of the University of Florida where she studied journalism and worked with the local NPR station, WUFT, and Fresh Take Florida, a news service focused on statewide and political coverage.

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