Neo-Nazi group leader convicted of plotting Maryland power grid attack

The founder of a Florida-based neo-Nazi group was convicted Monday of conspiring with his former girlfriend to plan an attack on Maryland’s power grid in furtherance of their shared racist beliefs.

Brandon Russell, 29, encouraged Sarah Beth Clendaniel to carry out a series of “sniper attacks” on electrical substations around Baltimore that could have caused significant damage to the regional power grid, according to federal prosecutors. Their goal was to create chaos in the majority-Black city, prosecutors say.

The two were arrested in February 2023 — before the plans were executed.

The 12-person jury deliberated for less than an hour after hearing about four days of testimony in federal court in Baltimore. They found Russell guilty of one count of conspiracy to damage an energy facility, the only charge he faced.

Russell will be sentenced at a later date.

Read more: AP