Court documents reveal that the defendants meticulously studied previous attacks on the power grid, including an incident involving assault-style rifles aimed at a power substation.
In a significant development in a case involving a plot to target energy infrastructure, Jordan Duncan, 29, of Bailey, North Carolina, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for manufacturing a short barrel rifle in violation of the National Firearms Act. This sentencing, handed down today, completes the judicial proceedings against five defendants linked to the conspiracy.
“We have now brought to justice all five of the defendants involved in a self-described ‘modern day SS,’ who conspired, prepared, and trained to attack America’s power grid in the name of violent white supremacist ideology,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.
Earlier, on October 25, Joseph Maurino, 25, from Manalapan, New Jersey, received a sentence of one year and nine months for conspiracy to manufacture firearms and ship them across state lines. Other defendants, sentenced in July, include Paul James Kryscuk, 38, of Boise, Idaho, who was given six years and six months for conspiracy to destroy an energy facility; Liam Collins, 25, of Johnston, Rhode Island, who received a 10-year term for aiding in the interstate transportation of unregistered firearms; and Justin Wade Hermanson, 25, from Swansboro, North Carolina, who, along with Maurino, was sentenced to one year and nine months.
Notably, Duncan, Collins, and Hermanson are all former Marines who had served at Camp Lejeune. The group had been linked to the “Iron March” forum, a notorious platform for young neo-Nazis to network and organize. Following its closure in 2017, Collins and Kryscuk shifted their communication to encrypted messaging apps to further expand their extremist activities.
Court documents reveal that the defendants meticulously studied previous attacks on the power grid, including an incident involving assault-style rifles aimed at a power substation. Between 2017 and 2020, Kryscuk manufactured firearms while Collins procured military gear, including magazines, which were distributed among the group. Duncan contributed by amassing a trove of information related to firearms, explosives, and nerve agents, sharing these insights with his co-conspirators.
“Today’s sentencing is the final step in holding accountable five men who were planning to attack an energy facility and were inspired by racially motivated violent extremism,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “If the defendants had been able to carry out an attack it could have caused suffering to thousands of American citizens. The FBI is committed to detecting and stopping such acts and will continue to work with prosecutors to see justice is served in such cases.”
“Driven by a white supremacist ideology, these defendants set out to terrorize the nation by targeting America’s power grid, aiming to create chaos, instill fear, and put countless innocent lives at risk,” said Director Steven Dettelbach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “The sentences handed down reflect not only the depravity of their intentions but also ATF’s steadfast commitment—alongside our law enforcement partners—to protect our nation from extremist threats and violent attacks, regardless of the motives behind them.”
The group engaged in various training exercises, including live-fire drills in the Boise desert, capturing their activities on video. Disturbingly, footage showed participants firing weapons while donned in AtomWaffen masks, culminating in a montage that displayed Nazi symbols and slogans.
In a shocking turn of events, when Kryscuk was arrested in October 2020, authorities discovered a handwritten list in his possession. This list detailed multiple locations in Idaho and neighboring states associated with the power grid, including sites containing transformers and substations. Prior to their arrests, both Collins and Duncan had relocated to Idaho, seeking proximity to Kryscuk and their extremist agenda.
The conclusion of this case underscores the serious implications of domestic extremism and the lengths to which individuals may go in pursuit of violent ideologies.
“Attacks on our critical infrastructure pose a threat to all Americans,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley Jr. for the Eastern District of North Carolina. “We will relentlessly pursue anyone who seeks to destabilize our national security and institutions through hate-fueled violence.”
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