Paraguay Convicts Two Bitcoin Miners to Jail Sentences for Large-Scale Energy Theft
The National Power Administration of Paraguay (ANDE) announced on June 19 that it secured a favorable ruling against Cristian Daniel Jara Villalba and Ramon Martinez Morinigo, who were found guilty of energy theft after bypassing the metering system and directly connecting their property to the power grid to mine Bitcoin. A Paraguayan tribunal sentenced both to two years in prison, though the court suspended the execution of the sentence.
Despite the suspension, ANDE described the ruling as a milestone, emphasizing that it sets a strong precedent because one of the defendants held the contract with the power company at the location where the illegal miners were discovered and failed to prove ignorance of the activity. ‘This judicial decision sets a powerful precedent by establishing that justice will reach not only those who carry out illegal connections but also those who facilitate, permit, or benefit from actions that compromise the national electricity system,’ ANDE stated.
The power company reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy toward energy theft, vowing to strengthen controls and legal measures. The case is part of a broader crackdown on illegal mining that has caused millions of dollars in losses for Paraguay. This is not the first such conviction: in 2023, Edgar Saavedra and Rodrigo Suares received similar suspended sentences, and in August 2024, Carlos Raul Rojas was sentenced to 18 months after causing over $1.5 million in losses.