Prosecutors will say in secret whether they used controversial spying tool against neo-Nazi accused in Baltimore power g

Source: Baltimore Sun

Prosecutors will say in secret whether they used controversial spying tool against neo-Nazi accused in Baltimore power grid plot

Madeleine O'Neill, Baltimore Sun
Thu, June 27, 2024 at 5:28 PM EDT·6 min read

Federal prosecutors said they are willing to disclose whether they used a controversial surveillance program to foil a Florida neo-Nazi leader’s alleged plot to attack Baltimore’s power grid last year, but will only do so in secret, during a classified meeting with the judge handling the case.

Government lawyers refused Thursday to disclose publicly whether they used Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to build the case against the accused plotter, Brandon C. Russell, but agreed to a private meeting with Senior U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar where they will provide more information.

Russell’s defense team remains skeptical. After Thursday’s hearing, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union who recently joined the case said the government has a history of using a narrow interpretation of the law to avoid disclosing uses of FISA in prosecutions.

Russell, 28, is accused of plotting with a Catonsville woman, Sarah Beth Clendaniel, to destroy multiple electrical substations in the Baltimore region. The pair allegedly hoped to cause a “cascading failure” of the power grid by targeting energy facilities in Norrisville, Perry Hall, Reisterstown and other areas around Baltimore.

Clendaniel, 36, pleaded guilty in May in exchange for a recommended sentence of 18 years in prison.

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