Two former Marines were sentenced to prison Thursday for their participation in a plot to attack the U.S. power grid, the Justice Department said.
A judge sentenced Liam Collins, 25, of Johnston, Rhode Island, to 10 years in prison. Justin Wade Hermanson, 25, of Swansboro, North Carolina, received a prison sentence of one year, nine months. Both men were part of a neo-Nazi group that sought to destroy transformers, substations and other components of the power grid at about a dozen locations across Idaho and its surrounding states.
“As part a self-described ‘modern day SS,’ these defendants conspired, prepared, and trained to attack America’s power grid in order to advance their violent white supremacist ideology,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement. “These sentences reflect both the depravity of their plot and the Justice Department’s commitment to holding accountable those who seek to use violence to undermine our democracy.”
A third man was also sentenced Thursday. Paul James Kryscuk, 38, of Boise, Idaho, was sentenced to six years, six months in prison. Collins and Hermanson both pleaded guilty to federal firearms charges, while Kryscuk pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to destroy an energy facility.
Two other men were previously convicted in the plot. Joseph Maurino, a member of the New Jersey Army National Guard, and Jordan Duncan, a Marine veteran, pleaded guilty to weapons charges. Neither men have received their sentences.
Collins was the leader of the neo-Nazi group, which communicated through the now-defunct web forum Iron March. He described the group as a “modern day SS” that went hiking and camping together, did gym sessions and performed live-firing training exercises, according to federal indictments. Collins reportedly added that the group had planned to “buy a lot of land,” and posted that all members would be required to have served in the military.
Collins joined the Marine Corps in 2017 with the intention of gaining experience and training to benefit his group, according to his indictment. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, where he allegedly stole body armor and rifle magazines and delivered them to other neo-Nazi members, according to federal prosecutors.
Collins was kicked out of the Marine Corps in 2020. The nature of his discharge is not included in court documents. Hermanson served in the Marines as part of the same unit that Collins was last assigned.
“I’ll be in the USMC for 4 years while my comrades work on the groups [sic] physical formation,” Collins posted on Iron March in 2016. “It will take years to gather all the experience and intelligence that we need to utilize — but that’s what makes it fun.”
In addition to the weapons charge, Collins was accused by federal authorities of threatening to shoot Black Lives Matter protestors and conspiring to destroy government-owned energy facilities. Investigators said Collins asked group members to purchase thermite, a powdered mixture used in incendiary bombs. The group had discussed using the substance to burn through transformers.
On Iron March, Kryscuk shared his ideas for the group, which included buying property in “predominantly white and right leaning” locations, where they could recruit residents and stockpile weapons to take over local governments and industries.
While Collins was serving in the Marine Corps, Kryscuk manufactured firearms, and Duncan gathered a library of information, including some military-owned information, regarding firearms, explosives and nerve toxins.
The group created propaganda video montages of their live-fire training. In one video obtained by federal authorities, the participants are seen firing assault-type rifles. The video showed four group members wearing masks with a symbol of the neo-Nazi Attomwaffen Division and giving the “Heil Hitler” sign. An image of a black sun, a Nazi symbol, was pasted above them.
This story was produced in partnership with Military Veterans in Journalism. Please send tips to MVJ-Tips@militarytimes.com.
Nikki Wentling covers disinformation and extremism for Military Times. She's reported on veterans and military communities for eight years and has also covered technology, politics, health care and crime. Her work has earned multiple honors from the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, the Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors and others.
