3.5 years is excessive though jesus. THREE YEARS just for stealing electricity? Man I am glad I don't live in China, sounds like a horrible place to live.
I think a more reasonable sentence is three months, or possibly even just long community service, what a joke.
Yes, and it's quite difficult to get the actual facts of the case. The government there is so corrupt that he might have been arrested just so they could steal his bitcoin and mining hardware, only for some corrupt official to get some more money.
I think a fine in this case would have been enough. Maybe no-jailtime or just a few weeks if it was his first serious offence.