Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Racist Plot Targeting Power Grid

Brandon Clint Russell of Orlando, Fla., was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for conspiring to damage or destroy electrical facilities in Maryland as part of a racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist plot, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced Thursday.

Russell and his co-conspirator, Sarah Beth Clendaniel, planned to attack multiple electrical substations in the Baltimore area to cause a “cascading failure” and significant interruption to the regional power grid, with intended monetary losses exceeding $75 million. Russell recruited Clendaniel to the plan.

Clendaniel identified five substations to target, and Russell attempted to secure ...