A Florida man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for conspiring to damage or destroy electrical facilities in Maryland. Brandon Clint Russell, 30, of Orlando, Florida, received the sentence from Senior U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar. Upon release, Russell will be subject to lifetime supervised release.
The announcement was made by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, along with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI Baltimore Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor of the FBI Tampa Field Office.
“Russell allowed hatred to drive him and his co-conspirator to plot a dangerous scheme that could have harmed thousands of people,” Hayes said. “The sentence imposed today reflects the gravity of Russell’s egregious conduct and his ongoing threat to public safety. This conviction underscores our unwavering commitment to dismantling violent extremist threats and holding accountable anyone who dares to conspire to endanger the lives of others.”
DelBagno commented on law enforcement coordination: “Swift and thorough coordination from our law enforcement partners through the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force disrupted this significant threat to Maryland,” he said. “I am proud of the dedicated FBI agents and analysts who worked this case from Maryland to Florida. This investigation shows the commitment and broad reach of the FBI to ensure those plotting harm are brought to justice.”
Fodor highlighted ongoing efforts against extremist threats: “This case illustrates the FBI’s vigilance in defending the homeland from radical violent extremists like Brandon Russell,” he said. “Our strong partnerships, resources, and resilience exemplifies our commitment to disrupting hate-filled campaigns intended to harm our communities.”
Russell’s co-conspirator, Sarah Beth Clendaniel, 37, of Catonsville, Maryland, was previously sentenced by Judge Bredar to 18 years in prison followed by a lifetime supervised release for her involvement.
Evidence at trial showed that between November 2022 and February 3, 2023, Russell planned attacks on critical infrastructure including transformers at electrical substations as part of racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist beliefs. He posted open-source maps showing substation locations online and discussed how coordinated attacks could cause widespread power outages through cascading failures.
Clendaniel identified five substations as targets while Russell tried to obtain a weapon for her use. Clendaniel reportedly stated that simultaneous attacks could “completely destroy this whole city” and suggested multiple shots would be sufficient for disabling substations.
Authorities estimated that if successful, their plan would have caused over $75 million in losses by significantly interrupting electricity transmission across Baltimore’s regional power grid.
Hayes recognized contributions from both local and federal agencies involved in investigating the case—including FBI offices in Baltimore and Tampa—as well as support from other departments such as Maryland State Police and Baltimore County Police Department.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Maryland participates in United Against Hate—a Department of Justice initiative aimed at building trust between law enforcement agencies and marginalized communities while encouraging reporting of hate crimes or incidents.
More information about community resources is available at justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
