Brandon Clint Russell, 30, of Orlando, Fla., was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for attempting to damage or destroy Maryland’s power grid to further his white-supremacist agenda, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Aug. 7.
“The sentence imposed today reflects the gravity of Russell’s egregious conduct and his ongoing threat to public safety,” stated Kelly Hayes, U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland. “This conviction underscores our unwavering commitment to dismantling violent extremist threats and holding accountable anyone who dares to conspire to endanger the lives of others.”
Russell, who founded and led the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division, was found guilty in February of conspiracy to damage an energy facility, according to the Justice Department.
From November 2022 to Feb. 3, 2023, Russell conspired to attack and destroy critical infrastructure, specifically transformers within electrical substations. To carry out his plan in Baltimore, he recruited a woman identified by the department as Sarah Beth Clendaniel, 37, of Catonsville, Md.
The two aimed to destroy five gas and electric substations “to cause a significant interruption and impairment of the Baltimore regional power grid,” which would have caused roughly $75 million in damage, according to the department.
Baltimore District Court Judge James Bredar stated that Russel was “the brains” behind the operation and that Russel attempted to create a “bizarre utopia,” where “everyone looked like him,” according to CBS News.
Russell received the maximum sentence. Clendaniel was previously sentenced to 18 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for her role in the scheme.
