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Man who conspired to destroy Baltimore's power grid sentenced to 20 years

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BALTIMORE — Brandon Clint Russell, the man who conspired to destroy Baltimore's electrical grid, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release.

From November 2022 until February 3, 2023, Russell plotted to carry out attacks against multiple BGE energy facilities.

Officials say his plan was in furtherance of his violent extremist beliefs.

His accomplice, Sarah Beth Clendaniel, was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Russell recruited her to carry out the attacks in Baltimore and other areas. They wanted to cause significant interruption to the Baltimore power grid, officials say.

Prosecutors said the pair have been associated with each other since 2018, and both have criminal records.

“This planned attack threatened lives and would have left thousands of Marylanders in the cold and dark,” said Maryland U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron.

Clendaniel stated if they attacked multiple substations in the same day, they "would completely destroy this whole city," and a "good four or five shots through the center of them...should make that happen."