U.S. Attorney’s Office Announce Canadian Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Destruction of Energy Facilities in Both North Dakota and South Dakota

BISMARCK – District of North Dakota Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl, and District of South Dakota United States Attorney Alison Ramsdell announced that on March 10, 2025, United States District Court Judge Daniel M. Traynor sentenced Cameron Monte Smith, age 50, a citizen of Canada, to serve 150 months in federal prison for two counts of destruction of an energy facility, one act in the District of North Dakota and one act in the District of South Dakota, to be served consecutively, totaling 25 years, and to serve three years supervised release. Smith was also ordered to pay $2,124,974.38 in restitution to the victims.

On September 11, 2024, Smith pleaded guilty to the two offenses where he admitted to damaging the Wheelock Substation, located near Ray, N.D., in an amount exceeding $100,000, in May of 2023. The Wheelock substation is operated by Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative and Basin Electric Power Cooperative.

Smith also admitted to damaging a transformer and pumpstation of the Keystone Pipeline located near Carpenter, South Dakota, in an amount exceeding $100,000, in July of 2022. Smith damaged the Wheelock substation and the Keystone Pipeline equipment by firing multiple rounds from a high-power rifle into the equipment resulting in disruption of electric services to the North Dakota customers and resulting in disruption of the Keystone Pipeline in South Dakota.

“This sentence serves as a reminder that the Department of Justice will use all its resources to investigate and aggressively prosecute any attack on our critical civilian infrastructures,” said Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl, Acting US Attorney for the District of North Dakota. “Our law enforcement partners and career prosecutors in the Districts of North and South Dakota deserve recognition for working shoulder to shoulder to bring this defendant to justice, thereby protecting our citizens’ access to essential energy services.”  

"This substantial sentence reflects the commitment of the Department of Justice, the United States Attorney's Offices for North Dakota and South Dakota, and our numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to relentlessly investigate, prosecute, and hold to account persons, wherever they are from, who intentionally seek to disrupt or destroy our nation's critical energy infrastructure,” said Alison J. Ramsdell, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota. “This sentence should stand as a stark warning to anyone seeking to interfere with our critical infrastructure—law enforcement will stop at nothing to track you down and bring you to justice."

“As a Canadian, Mr. Smith was barred from possessing firearms and ammunition in the United States,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Travis S. Riddle, of the St. Paul Field Division. “There are, of course, exceptions to the prohibition of non-U.S. citizens possessing firearms for things like hunting or other shooting sports, but Mr. Smith chose to illegally possess a firearm and ammunition to attack U.S. infrastructure, which simply cannot be tolerated. We are satisfied with the sentencing in relation to his guilty plea. And, as always, we are appreciative of our partners and prosecutors who helped to bring this case to a successful conclusion.”

“Smith orchestrated and carried out targeted attacks on critical energy infrastructure in North and South Dakota using a high-powered rifle, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and leaving homes and businesses without power," said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. "Attacks on our critical infrastructure threaten the security and daily lives of all Americans. The FBI remains laser-focused on protecting the essential infrastructure our communities rely on, and will continue to work with our partners to pursue and hold accountable those who resort to violence."

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Williams County (ND) Sheriff’s Office, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Clark County (SD) Sheriff’s Department, and the Beadle County (SD) Sheriff’s Department, and is being prosecuted by North Dakota Assistant U.S. Attorneys David D. Hagler and Jonathan J. O’Konek, and District of South Dakota Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Jehangiri, with the assistance of Trial Attorneys Jacob Warren and Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

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