Baltimore County woman sentenced to 18 years for power grid plot

BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore County woman received 18 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a conspiracy to damage or destroy electrical facilities in Maryland.

On September 25, 2024, Senior United States District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Sarah Beth Clendaniel, of Catonsville, to 18 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for conspiring to damage or destroy electrical facilities – including a Perry Hall substation, and a concurrent sentence of 15 years for being a felon in possession of a firearm, and 3 years of supervised release.

Clendaniel and another man – Brandon Russell from Florida – were accused of conspiring to attack five power substations in the Baltimore region. The two were federally charged with conspiracy to damage or destroy electrical facilities in Maryland.

The US Attorney’s Office said that from 2022 to 2023, Clendaniel communicated with Russell on communication apps to carry out the attacks.

The planned attacks were to have a “significant interruption and impairment of the Baltimore regional power grid.” The scheme was based on a belief that the current system is irreparable and without an apparent political solution, and therefore violent action is necessary to precipitate societal and government collapse.

Clendaniel had identified potential locations for the attacks and had communicated with Russell about the specific firearms and accessories she wanted. The two had exchanged messages about the targets and discussed the logistics of the attack.

Federal agents executed a search warrant at Clendaniel’s home where they found guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. She was convicted of two previous felonies for robbery in 2006 and attempted robbery in 2016, and was legally prohibited from possessing firearms.

Officials say the sentencing is a significant warning to those who would contemplate violence against the nation’s critical infrastructure.

“The US Department of Justice will continue to aggressively prosecute those who seek to attack our country’s infrastructure, endanger entire cities, and threaten our national security,” said US Attorney Merrick Garland.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

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