Sarah Beth Clendaniel, who pleaded guilty to trying to blow up power stations in Maryland, was sentenced to 18 years in prison, with lifetime supervision post-release.

Sarah Beth Clendaniel, who pleaded guilty to trying to attack and destroy the power grid in the Baltimore region, was sentenced to 18 years in prison with lifetime supervision post-release.

Prosecutors said Clendaniel, 36, from Catonsville, planned to blow up power stations around Baltimore to destabilize the government in a white supremacist plot.

According to prosecutors, the attack would have resulted in $75 million in damages and caused power outages for much of the state.

This sentence comes after Clendaniel accepted a plea deal and ultimately was found guilty of the crimes in May.

  • anon6789@lemmy.world
    281·
    2 months ago

    Agents recovered various firearms from her bedroom and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Clendaniel is prohibited from possessing a firearm because she is a convicted felon.

    Evidence used in the trial included transcripts of recorded phone conversations between Clendaniel and a confidential informant, revealing that she wanted to obtain a high-powered rifle to shoot through substations in Reisterstown, Perry Hall, White Marsh, and more locations.

    I tried to find data about how seriously straw purchases are being treated these days, as enforcement always seemed very lax. This is how this person seems to have obtained her weaponry. A straw purchase in the case of firearms is when someone buys a firearm with the intent of it ending up in the hands of someone else. It is common to have a partner or acquaintance purchase a gun to get around the background check.

    I searched for “straw purchase jail” to try to find conviction rates, and oddly all the results looked to be only from Pennsylvania, and are pretty recent. There does seem to be some enhanced penalties put into place nationally, after a number of mass shootings traced back to straw purchases.

    Prosecutors say Clendaniel has been in communication with her co-defendant, Russell, through Dallas Humber, an alleged transnational terrorist group leader from California. Humber is accused of soliciting hate crimes, the murder of Federal officials, and conspiring to provide materials to terrorists. The communication between Clendaniel, Humber and Russell persisted until July 2024.

    Prosecutors allege this communication shows that Clendaniel is still conspiring during recorded phone calls while incarcerated.

    Before receiving the sentence, Clendaniel addressed the courtroom saying she is more likely to hurt herself than others. She says she still retains her national socialist beliefs, which she has had since she was 13 years old, but that she would not act on them.

    Judge Bredar explained that she is not being sentenced for her beliefs, rather she is being put behind bars because she was prepared to act on them and cause significant harm. He said he is not convinced she wouldn’t act on them in the future.

    And she has learned nothing. Hopefully she will continue to incriminate herself on a regular basis to ensure she serves the full 18 years of her sentence.