WASHINGTON — A Canadian man was sentenced to 12.5 years in federal prison Monday for damaging energy infrastructure in North Dakota and South Dakota, followed by three years of supervised release.
Cameron Monte Smith, 50, pleaded guilty in September to destroying the Wheelock Substation in North Dakota in May 2023 and a Keystone Pipeline transformer and pump station in South Dakota in July 2022. He was ordered to pay $2.1 million in restitution.
Prosecutors said Smith used a high-power rifle to fire multiple rounds into the energy equipment, causing power outages and disrupting pipeline operations. The North Dakota substation is operated by Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative and Basin Electric Power Cooperative.
The case was investigated by the FBI, along with multiple state and local law enforcement agencies.
Smith’s actions caused widespread disruptions, leading to a multimillion-dollar sentence for damaging critical infrastructure.