Man Gets 5 Years Supervised Probation For Vandalizing Bitcoin ATM

• He retrieved a revolver from his pocket and fired five shots into the system.
• This Monday he entered a guilty plea in Cole County for first-degree property damage.

Jefferson City, Missouri native, 51-year-old Matthew Klinger was sentenced to five years of probation for shooting at a bitcoin ATM. He said he damaged it so that it was unable to accept money from any other person, albeit it’s not clear whether the machine was broken, to begin with.

According to recent reports, in August of last year, Klinger went to the Vapor Maven on Missouri Boulevard and asked to speak with the store’s general manager, where the crypto ATM was set up. Upon finishing his call, he retrieved a revolver from his pocket, fired five shots into the system, and then fled the area.

Supervised Probation

According to Klinger’s statement to the police, after the violent incident, he returned home, confessed to his wife, and then phoned the police. As for the firearm, he abandoned it on his front porch. 

This Monday he entered a guilty plea in Cole County for first-degree property damage and received five years of supervised probation. A law enforcement official is assigned to such offenders in order to keep tabs on them and make sure they comply with the judge’s order. It’s not quite prison, but it has the potential to become one if the inmate misbehaves.

During the last several years, the availability of bitcoin ATMs has skyrocketed. In October 2013, the first of these machines was released, and there are currently more than 35,000. It’s no surprise that the United States, the site of the aforementioned incident, also has the most bitcoin ATMs, at 32,650. In second place with 2,669 is Canada, followed by third-place Australia with 276.