Sentences Handed Down
Three men linked to white supremacist groups were sentenced in federal court Thursday for their roles in plotting to destroy a power grid in the northwestern United States, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Involvement and Charges
Paul James Kryscuk, 38; Liam Collins, 25; and Justin Wade Hermanson, 25, were sentenced for their involvement in a yearslong scheme to sabotage the power grid as part of a larger extremist plot. Collins and Hermanson, former members of a U.S. Marine unit at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, participated in the planning.
Collins received a 10-year sentence for aiding and abetting the interstate transportation of unregistered firearms. Kryscuk was sentenced to six and a half years for conspiracy to destroy an energy facility, while Hermanson received a one-year and nine-month sentence for conspiracy to manufacture and ship firearms between states.
Plot Details and Arrests
The plot dates back to 2016, when Collins began recruiting for a paramilitary group on a neo-Nazi internet forum, calling it “a modern day SS.” He joined the Marines to support the group’s cause financially.
Collins connected with Kryscuk in 2017 through the forum. They discussed forming a guerrilla organization to reclaim land, with Kryscuk advocating for striking the existing power structure. The group expanded to include Hermanson and others, studying previous power substation attacks.
By 2020, they were illegally manufacturing and selling firearms and stealing military gear. They conducted live-fire weapons training in Boise, Idaho, where Kryscuk had relocated, and filmed the session, giving “Heil Hitler” salutes.
Evidence and Arrests
Authorities found a handwritten note in Kryscuk’s possession listing multiple power grid components in Idaho and other states. Arrest warrants were issued in October 2020, and the men were arrested between November 2020 and January 2021.
Guilty Pleas and Statements
Kryscuk pleaded guilty in February 2022, while Collins and Hermanson followed suit in 2023. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized the Justice Department’s commitment to holding those who use violence to undermine democracy accountable.
“This arrest and successful extradition is a lesson that the high seas are not a no-man’s land for the rule of law, and that we are committed to bringing those who violate it to justice,” Garland said.
