Three individuals linked to white supremacist groups have been sentenced to prison for planning a racially-motivated attack on the US power grid, which was fortunately stopped by federal authorities.
Liam Collins, a 25-year-old from Rhode Island, was given a 10-year prison sentence for his role in aiding and abetting the interstate transportation of unregistered firearms. In a separate case, Paul James Kryscuk, a 38-year-old man from Idaho, received a six-year and six-month sentence for conspiring to destroy an energy facility.
Additionally, Justin Wade Hermanson, a 25-year-old from North Carolina, will be serving a 21-month sentence for his involvement in conspiring to manufacture firearms and transport them across state lines. It was discovered that Collins and Hermanson had served in the same Marine unit at Camp LeJeune in North Carolina during the planning stages of the attack.
According to court documents from the Department of Justice (DOJ), the trio researched and discussed a previous attack on a power substation in 2016, which was carried out by unidentified individuals using assault rifles. Kryscuk was reported to have manufactured firearms between 2017 and 2020 for the planned attack, while Collins stole military equipment, such as magazines for assault-style rifles, and had them delivered to Kryscuk and Hermanson.
The three men had gathered a significant amount of information on firearms, explosives, and nerve toxins and had identified twelve potential targets in Idaho and neighboring states, including transformers and substations. US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland condemned their actions, stating that they aimed to use violence to promote their violent white supremacist beliefs.
Collins and Kryscuk were known to be part of the “Iron March” neo-Nazi forum before it was shut down in 2017. They met through the forum and recruited additional members, including Hermanson, using encrypted messaging applications for communication outside of the forum. The group conducted training, including live-fire exercises in the desert near Boise, Idaho, which was captured on video by investigators.
The severity of the plot and the Justice Department’s dedication to holding those accountable for undermining democracy were highlighted by the sentences handed down to the individuals involved in the heinous scheme. The recovery of video evidence showing the men making the “Heil Hitler” gesture during their training further solidified the dangerous and hateful nature of their intentions.
