A woman from Maryland was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison on Wednesday for plotting to destroy electrical facilities in Baltimore, in an effort to cause societal collapse and “advance a white supremacist ideology,” according to court records.

The woman, Sarah Clendaniel, 36, of Catonsville, Md., pleaded guilty to conspiracy and felony possession charges in May, one year after authorities charged her with crimes related to her plan to shoot five power substations operated by Baltimore Gas and Electric, according to court records. She was sentenced to 18 years in prison in the U.S. District Court of Maryland in Baltimore.

Plots to attack critical energy centers have become increasingly common among white supremacist groups that see attacking these facilities as a way to destroy society. Most of the plots have been unsuccessful and several people behind the plans have been charged.

“Those who seek to attack our country’s critical infrastructure will face the full force of the U.S. Department of Justice,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement from the Department of Justice’s announcement of the sentence.

In February 2023, prosecutors charged both Ms. Clendaniel and Brandon Russell, 29, of Orlando, Fla., a founding member of a neo-Nazi group called the Atomwaffen Division, who prosecutors said had conspired with Ms. Clendaniel. Mr. Russell’s trial is scheduled to begin on Nov. 12, according to Ian Goldstein, Mr. Russell’s lawyer.

“If not thwarted by law enforcement, Clendaniel and her co-conspirator would have permanently destroyed a significant portion of the electrical infrastructure around Baltimore,” prosecutors said in court records.

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