A Florida-based neo-Nazi group founder, Brandon Russell, was convicted of conspiring to attack Maryland’s power grid.

Russell encouraged his former girlfriend, Sarah Beth Clendaniel, to carry out sniper attacks on Baltimore substations to incite chaos.

They were arrested in February 2023 before executing their plan.

A jury took less than an hour to convict Russell of conspiracy to damage an energy facility.

Russell previously co-founded Atomwaffen Division and had a history of possessing explosives and neo-Nazi materials.

Prosecutors argued he aimed to start a race war, while his defense claimed he was merely a “cheerleader.”

Russell previously served five years for possessing an unregistered destructive device, NBC News has reported.

Clendaniel pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Written by B.C. Begley