Brandon Russell, the founder of a neo-Nazi group, was convicted of conspiring with his former girlfriend Sarah Beth Clendaniel to carry out sniper attacks on electrical substations around Baltimore in order to create chaos and further their shared racist beliefs. The jury found Russell guilty of conspiracy to damage an energy facility. Russell had previously founded the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division and was arrested alongside Clendaniel in 2023 before their plans were executed. Russell had a history with law enforcement, having pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered destructive device years earlier.
Prosecutors argued that Russell intended to incite a race war through the attacks, but his defense attorney claimed that Russell’s involvement was minimal and that he was set up. Despite this defense, Russell was found guilty. Russell’s previous run-ins with the law included a separate incident where his roommate killed two others, leading police to discover explosives and neo-Nazi material in Russell’s possession. Russell was ultimately sentenced to five years in prison for improper storage of explosive materials.
Clendaniel, who was also involved in the plot to attack the power grid, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. The two had developed a romantic relationship through letter exchanges while incarcerated and continued their extremist beliefs after their release. These events highlight the dangerous consequences of individuals radicalized by white supremacist ideologies and the lengths they may go to in furthering their beliefs.
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