BALTIMORE On Monday, the founder of a neo-Nazi organization located in Florida was found guilty of planning an attack on Maryland’s electrical infrastructure with his ex-girlfriend in order to propagate their shared racist views.
Federal prosecutors claim that 29-year-old Brandon Russell persuaded Sarah Beth Clendaniel to conduct a series of sniper attacks on electrical substations in the Baltimore area that had the potential to seriously harm the local power supply. Prosecutors claim that their intention was to cause mayhem in the predominantly Black city.
Before the preparations were carried out, the two were taken into custody in February 2023.
In federal court in Baltimore, the 12-member jury heard testimony for around four days before deliberating for less than an hour. Russell was only charged with one count of conspiracy to harm an energy facility, which they found him guilty of.
Russell will receive his sentence later. He wore glasses and a light blue jacket when he appeared in court. He appeared happy and involved throughout the trial, consulting with his lawyer on a regular basis.
Russell was a co-founder of the neo-Nazi organization Atomwaffen Division, which is German for “atomic weapon,” a number of years ago.
He has previously encountered law enforcement. After police examined Russell’s home and discovered a stockpile of neo-Nazi placards, posters, books, and flags, as well as a stash of highly explosive materials, he earlier entered a guilty plea to possession of an unregistered destructive device and improper storage of explosive materials.
Prosecutor Joseph Baldwin summarized trial testimony during closing arguments Monday afternoon, including that of a confidential informant who interacted with Russell via the social media platform Telegram. Prosecutors claim that Russell brought Clendaniel and the informant together in the hopes that the latter would assist her in obtaining a gun to use in the assault.
Baldwin explained to the jury that he was the team commander caring for his fighter.
The prosecution revealed a recording of a phone conversation in which Russell used a racist slur and asked the informant to keep the information private, telling him, “It’s important you don’t talk about this to anyone.”
Russell’s defense lawyer minimized his role in the scheme, referring to the case as a setup from the start, despite prosecutors’ allegations that he intended to start a racial war.
According to lawyer Ian Goldstein, Russell was in Florida the whole time and had no intention of going to Maryland to actively participate in the attack. During his closing statement, Goldstein stated that although Russell might have backed attempts to upend contemporary society and reinstate white supremacy, he was not a co-conspirator in this instance.
Goldstein acknowledged his client’s disgusting ideology and stated, “He was a cheerleader, as awful as that sounds.” He was that, and it’s not against the law.
It was insufficient to persuade the jury. U.S. District Judge James Bredar informed jurors prior to their Monday night deliberations that a guilty judgment would necessitate a determination that Russell had participated in, advised, or helped with the conspiracy while being aware of its goals.
Until police went to a double killing at a Tampa apartment complex in 2017 and discovered Russell outside sobbing while wearing military fatigues, it appears that Russell was not on the radar of law enforcement. According to officials, one of his roommates had murdered the other two.
Investigators came to the conclusion that Russell was not involved in the fatal killings. However, throughout their investigation, officers found that Russell was in possession of explosive materials and neo-Nazi memorabilia, including a framed picture of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and pamphlets that read, “Don’t prepare for exams, prepare for a race war.”
Russell had gone to the University of South Florida and was then in the Florida National Guard.
Detectives were informed by Devon Arthurs, who eventually entered a guilty plea to the murder of his roommates, that he had shot them because they had made fun of his new conversion to Islam. Prosecutors indicated that Russell had materials in the house to kill civilians and target places like power lines, nuclear reactors, and synagogues. He also stated that it was to stop an Atomwaffen terrorist strike.
In that instance, Russell was also represented by Goldstein, who contended that having explosives did not imply that Russell planned to use them for malicious purposes. According to Goldstein, his client already had mental health problems and was traumatized by the killings of his roommates. According to family members, Russell was merely a follower seeking a sense of belonging and attempting to win over his pals.
In the end, Russell entered a guilty plea to improper storage of explosive materials and possession of an unregistered destructive device. In 2018, he received a five-year prison sentence. A federal judge in Tampa voiced clear concerns during the sentencing hearing that Russell would be incarcerated among the wrong people.
Federal agents learned of his association with Clendaniel, who also had a lengthy history of white nationalist views, a number of years later.
Around 2018, she and Russell started writing to each other while they were housed in separate prisons. According to court documents, they fell in love and kept up their connection after being released from prison.
In September, 36-year-old Clendaniel was given an 18-year prison sentence after entering a guilty plea to planning the attack.