Cameron Monte Smith, a citizen of Canada, has pleaded guilty to one count of destruction of an energy facility charged in the District of North Dakota and another count in the District of South Dakota.
Smith admitted to damaging the Wheelock substation near Ray, North Dakota, causing damage exceeding $100,000 in May 2023. The substation is operated by Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative and Basin Electric Power Cooperative.
Additionally, Smith confessed to damaging a transformer and pump station of the Keystone Pipeline near Carpenter, South Dakota, with damages also exceeding $100,000 in July 2022.
According to court documents, Smith caused this damage by firing multiple rounds from a high-power rifle into the equipment. This resulted in disruptions to electric services for North Dakota customers and interruptions to the Keystone Pipeline operations in South Dakota.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. Smith faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch, U.S. Attorney Mac Schneider for the District of North Dakota, U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell for the District of South Dakota, and Special Agent in Charge Travis S. Riddle of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) St. Paul Field Division made the announcement.
The FBI and ATF are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David D. Hagler, Jonathan J. O’Konek, and Jeremy Jehangiri are prosecuting with assistance from Trial Attorneys Jacob Warren and Justin Sher from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.