Canadian Citizen Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Damaging Energy Infrastructure in North and South Dakota
Canadian citizen Cameron Monte Smith, 50, has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for intentionally damaging energy infrastructure facilities in both North and South Dakota. Smith received 150 months for each of two counts of destruction of an energy facility, to be served consecutively, in addition to three years of supervised release and $2,124,974.38 in restitution.
In September 2024, Smith pleaded guilty to damaging the Wheelock Substation in North Dakota in May 2023, and a Keystone Pipeline transformer and pump station in South Dakota in July 2022, using a high-powered rifle to cause disruptions to electric services and the pipeline.
Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl and U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell emphasized the Department of Justice’s commitment to prosecuting attacks on critical infrastructure. ATF Special Agent in Charge Travis S. Riddle noted Smith’s illegal possession of a firearm as a Canadian citizen prohibited from doing so in the U.S. FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. highlighted the serious nature of attacks on infrastructure.
The case was investigated by numerous agencies, including the FBI, ATF, Williams County Sheriff’s Office, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Clark County Sheriff’s Department, and Beadle County Sheriff’s Department. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys in North and South Dakota, with assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
This sentence serves as a reminder of the consequences for those who seek to disrupt or destroy critical energy infrastructure, with the Department of Justice vowing to aggressively prosecute such actions.
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