13th March, 2025
A Canadian man, Cameron Monte Smith, 50, has been sentenced to a staggering 25 years in prison for orchestrating two high-powered attacks on critical U.S. energy infrastructure—one in North Dakota and another in South Dakota.
Smith, who pleaded guilty to destroying an energy facility, methodically targeted and shot up vital infrastructure using a high-powered rifle, causing massive disruptions to both electricity supplies and the Keystone Pipeline.
In May 2023, Smith inflicted over $100,000 in damage on the Wheelock Substation near Ray, North Dakota, leaving customers in the dark.
He had previously struck in July 2022, attacking a transformer and pump station along the Keystone Pipeline in Carpenter, South Dakota, similarly causing extensive damage.
His relentless assault on U.S. energy security came to a dramatic conclusion with his conviction and sentencing. The court has also ordered him to pay $2.1 million in restitution for the destruction he left behind.
Federal authorities, including the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, worked tirelessly to bring Smith to justice, alongside agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, local sheriff’s departments, and the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys from both North Dakota and South Dakota, as well as federal counterterrorism prosecutors, ensured Smith faced the full weight of the law.
