Canadian man sentenced to prison for destroying energy facilities in Dakotas

Cameron Monte Smith, 50, a Canadian citizen, was sentenced to U.S. prison for destroying two energy facilities in North and South Dakota.

Smith was sentenced to 25 years in prison and ordered to pay $2.1 million in restitution. His 150 month sentence for each count is to be served consecutively, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a release.

Court documents show Smith pleaded guilty on Sept. 11, 2024 to damaging the Wheelock Substation in North Dakota in 2023 as well as a transformer and pumpstation of the Keystone Pipeline in South Dakota in 2022.

Each instance amounted to more than $100,000 in damages.

Near Carpenter, S.D., Smith fired multiple rounds from a “high-power rifle” into the energy equipment, resulting in customers in North Dakota experiencing a disruption to electric services and damage to South Dakota’s Keystone Pipeline, the DOJ said.

The FBI investigated the case with help from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and local police.