A Canadian citizen has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for intentionally damaging energy infrastructure facilities in both North and South Dakota, thanks in part to assistance from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office among several other agencies.
United States District Court Judge Daniel M. Traynor issued the sentence to Cameron Monte Smith, 50, on Monday, March 10, 2025. The sentence was announced jointly by Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl for the District of North Dakota, and U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell for the District of South Dakota.
Smith received 150 months (12.5 years) for each of two counts of destruction of an energy facility, to be served consecutively. He will also serve three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $2,124,974.38 in restitution.
In September 2024, Smith pleaded guilty to damaging the Wheelock Substation near Ray, North Dakota, in May 2023, and damaging a Keystone Pipeline transformer and pump station near Carpenter, South Dakota, in July 2022. The damage in both instances exceeded $100,000. Smith admitted to using a high-powered rifle to fire multiple rounds into equipment at both locations, causing disruptions to electric services in North Dakota and 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,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl.
U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell added, “This sentence reflects the commitment of the Department of Justice… to relentlessly investigate, prosecute, and hold to account persons… who intentionally seek to disrupt or destroy our nation’s critical energy infrastructure.”
According to the press release, ATF Special Agent in Charge Travis S. Riddle noted Smith, as a Canadian citizen, was prohibited from possessing firearms in the U.S. but illegally possessed a firearm to attack infrastructure.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. emphasized the serious nature of attacks on critical infrastructure, stating they “threaten the security and daily lives of all Americans.”
Numerous law enforcement agencies investigated this case, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Williams County (ND) Sheriff’s Office, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and locally, the Clark County (SD) Sheriff’s Department and the Beadle County (SD) Sheriff’s Department.
You can read the full article at KXLG.