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Woman sentenced to 18 years in neo-Nazi power grid attack plot

Sarah Beth Clendaniel, 36, of Catonsville, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore to conspiracy to damage an energy facility and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. (Handout)
Handout
Sarah Beth Clendaniel, 36, of Catonsville, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore to conspiracy to damage an energy facility and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

Sarah Beth Clendaniel had held Nazi beliefs since she was age 13, and, in failing health and believing she had less than a year to live, decided she wanted to put her thoughts into action. Conspiring with a neo-Nazi leader, she put together a plan to take out power substations around the Baltimore region.

Even after pleading guilty to charges related to the foiled plot, federal prosecutors say the 36-year-old remained in contact with leaders of the so-called Terrorgram Collective while behind bars.

U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar scoffed when her defense attorney told him that it was her opinion that her client would not have followed through. He said she needed to be “incapacitated,” and sentenced her to 18 years in federal prison followed by lifetime supervised release.

“As I sit here today, I’m not convinced the defendant isn’t ... capable of acting on that inclination,” Bredar said.

The story continues at The Baltimore Banner: Woman sentenced to 18 years in neo-Nazi power grid attack plot

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