BALTIMORE — A Florida man who founded a neo-Nazi organization was convicted on Monday for his involvement in conspiring to plot an assault on Maryland’s power grid, aligning with his extremist views and those of his former girlfriend.
Brandon Russell, aged 29, was found guilty on a single count of conspiracy to inflict damage upon an energy facility. Prosecutors outlined how he had encouraged Sarah Beth Clendaniel to undertake multiple “sniper attacks” targeting electrical substations near Baltimore. These attacks were intended to inflict chaos in the predominantly Black city, federal officials stated. Russell and Clendaniel were apprehended in February 2023, before any of their plans could come to fruition.
After four days of testimonies, a jury took less than an hour to deliberate before reaching their verdict. Attending the proceedings in a light blue jacket and spectacles, Russell appeared attentive and in good spirits as he conferred with his lawyer throughout the trial. He awaits sentencing, which will take place at a future date.
A co-founder of the Atomwaffen Division, a neo-Nazi group whose name translates to “atomic weapon,” Russell has had previous brushes with the law. He had earlier pleaded guilty to possessing an unregistered destructive device and improperly storing explosive materials when authorities found a cache of highly dangerous materials and neo-Nazi paraphernalia at his home.
In his closing arguments, prosecutor Joseph Baldwin recounted evidence, including testimony from a confidential informant who communicated with Russell via the Telegram app. Russell reportedly aimed to connect Clendaniel with the informant in order to help her acquire a firearm for the proposed attack. Baldwin portrayed Russell as the “team leader” in this conspiracy.
Prosecutors also presented audio from a phone conversation where Russell made a racist remark and insisted on secrecy, emphasizing the importance of keeping their plans confidential. While the prosecution alleged that Russell’s intentions were to instigate a race war, his attorney attempted to downplay his role, asserting that Russell was set up from the beginning.
Russell’s defense contended that he was never in Maryland nor did he have any plans to support the execution of the attack. Attorney Ian Goldstein characterized Russell more as a supporter of a discontented societal change rather than an active co-conspirator. “He was a cheerleader for these ideas — as abhorrent as that sounds,” Goldstein conceded, separating Russell’s beliefs from actionable conspiracy.
Despite the defense’s efforts, the jury was not swayed. U.S. District Judge James Bredar informed jurors that they needed to find Russell had “engaged, advised or assisted” in the conspiracy with awareness of its objectives to deliver a guilty verdict.
Russell was initially not identified by law enforcement until they responded to a double homicide in Tampa back in 2017. He was found outside the crime scene, visibly upset and dressed in military clothing. Although authorities determined he had no involvement in the shootings, they uncovered illegal explosive materials and neo-Nazi artifacts in his possession. These included provocative flyers advocating for a race war and a framed image of infamous Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.
During the time of the incidents, Russell was serving in the Florida National Guard and was a student at the University of South Florida. The roommate involved in the double homicide claimed he killed the others due to their taunting over his conversion to Islam, further using the situation to illustrate a thwarting of a purported Atomwaffen terrorist plot.
In his previous case, Goldstein had argued that mere possession of explosives did not equate to an intention to harm. Citing Russell’s trauma from the murder of his roommates, he claimed his client was suffering from various mental health issues and merely sought community among those sharing his beliefs. Ultimately, Russell accepted a plea agreement and was sentenced to five years in prison for the earlier charges.
Years later, federal investigators uncovered his relationship with Clendaniel, who also had a recorded history of white supremacist ideologies. Their correspondence began in 2018 while they were incarcerated in separate facilities, nurturing a romantic relationship that persisted after their releases. Clendaniel, 36, ultimately pleaded guilty to the same conspiracy and was sentenced to 18 years in prison in September.