Neo-Nazi found guilty in plot to attack Baltimore grid

By Niina H. Farah | 02/05/2025 06:28 AM EST

The plan would have led to costs of more than $75 million, according to the Department of Justice.

Department of Justice headquarters in Washington.

Department of Justice headquarters in Washington. Francis Chung/E&E News

The leader of a neo-Nazi group faces up to 20 years in prison after a federal jury in Maryland found him guilty this week of a conspiracy to damage an energy facility.

Brandon Russell, 29, from Orlando, Florida, plotted to attack transformers at electrical substations in and around Baltimore.

The founding member of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen had conspired between at least November 2022 and February 2023 to “lay waste to the city of Baltimore through violence and destruction of critical infrastructure,” said William DelBagno, a special agent with the FBI, in a Monday press release announcing the verdict.

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“Today’s verdict reinforces there is no tolerance for those who seek to harm our communities and use violence to further hate-filled beliefs,” DelBagno said.

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