On July 25, three men who plotted to attack a power grid were sentenced, according to a Department of Justice press release. The three men, involved in a white supremacist scheme to target an energy facility, were handed their sentences by the court. This case highlights a concerning trend of extremist attacks on critical infrastructure.
Paul James Kryscuk, 38, from Boise, Idaho; Liam Collins, 25, from Johnston, Rhode Island; and Justin Wade Hermanson, 25, from Swansboro, North Carolina, were each sentenced for their roles in this dangerous plot. The sentencing underscores the seriousness of their crime and the Justice Department’s commitment to addressing such threats.
United States Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized the severity of the plot, stating, “As part of a self-described ‘modern-day SS,’ these defendants conspired, prepared, and trained to attack America’s power grid to advance their violent white supremacist ideology. These sentences reflect both the depravity of their plot and the Justice Department’s commitment to holding accountable those who seek to use violence to undermine our democracy.”
Kryscuk was sentenced to six years and six months in prison for conspiracy to destroy an energy facility. Collins was sentenced to ten years for aiding and abetting the interstate transportation of unregistered firearms. Hermanson was sentenced to one year and nine months in prison for conspiracy to manufacture firearms and ship them interstate.
Federal officials did not specify the exact location of the targeted facility. However, court documents reveal that a list of around a dozen locations in Idaho and nearby states was seized. These locations contained critical components of the power grid for the Northwest United States, such as transformers and substations.
The group’s planning was extensive. They met on a now-defunct neo-Nazi forum called “Iron March,” where they discussed and researched past attacks on power grids. According to a 2021 indictment, the group spent years gathering supplies for their attack, including stealing military equipment, manufacturing firearms, and learning about explosives and toxins.
Collins, along with another co-defendant, Jordan Duncan, used their Marine Corps positions at Camp Lejeune to obtain military gear and information illegally. They intended to use 50 pounds of explosives to destroy power transformers.
In October 2020, a handwritten list found in Kryscuk’s possession detailed various locations in Idaho and neighboring states that were crucial components of the power grid. This list included intersections and places with transformers and substations.
The Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security have elevated their concerns about such attacks. A 2019 study from the University of Chicago and the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland notes that energy infrastructure is extensive, relatively easy to target, and difficult to protect, making it an appealing target for extremists.
White supremacist groups, known for their historical activity in the Western United States, have increasingly been involved in plots or attacks on energy facilities. This includes a recent case where three men were arrested at a Black Lives Matter protest in Las Vegas with Molotov cocktails in their car.
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Bennett Clifford, an extremism researcher and co-author of a 2022 report on extremism, explained, “Extremists are seizing on the fact that other individuals are conducting successful attacks and perceived successful attacks on the energy grid.” He added, “They see all of these things as putting one more grain of sand in a big bucket, and to mix my analogies here, one of those things, in their view, will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”
