Man sentenced for conspiring to damage Pierce County power substations on Christmas Day
One of two men who conspired to destroy energy facilities on Christmas Day 2022, knocking out power for thousands of Pierce County residents while they attempted to burglarize businesses, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Federal prosecutors, who once called the attack a crime of terrorism, told U.S. District Court Judge David Estudillo on Friday that Jeremy Crahan and Matthew Greenwood’s plan was a “harebrained plot” that caused nearly $250,000 of damage to four power substations. Crahan’s defense attorney wrote in court filings that the men’s efforts netted them less than $100.
Crahan, 41, was motivated by a desire to help Greenwood, whose girlfriend was expecting a child in December 2022 and needed money to prepare for the birth, according to Crahan’s attorney, Lance Hester of Tacoma-based Hester Law Group.
The plan Crahan helped develop was affected by his use of methamphetamine, Hester said. Estudillo agreed.
“This idea of damaging power stations to burglarize businesses or ATMs during the power outage likely could only have been concocted while you were under the influence of some kind of substance,” Estudiollo told Crahan. “Because undoubtedly you and your codefendant were not thinking clearly about that plan.”
The sentence Estudillo imposed was below sentencing guidelines, which suggested a 27- to 33-month sentence. Prosecutors recommended 21 months in prison, and Crahan’s attorney asked that he receive a sentence for time served. Crahan has been incarcerated at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac for about eight months, and he will receive credit for time served.
Crahan pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to destroy energy facilities Sept. 6. Greenwood, his codefendant from Puyallup, pleaded guilty to the same charge in April. He is to be sentenced Jan. 19.
The stations targeted were Graham and Elk Plain substations operated by Tacoma Power and Kapowsin and Hemlock substations operated by Puget Sound Energy.
The men went to three of the facilities in the early hours of Christmas morning. In Greenwood’s plea agreement, the defendant said Crahan acted as a lookout while he entered and caused damage. Officials said at each station gates or fences were cut so the men could access breakers and switches.
Assistant U.S. attorney Todd Greenberg said he wanted to emphasize that after those substations were damaged, Crahan and Greenwood returned to their homes and waited for 13 hours before attacking the Kapowsin substation. The attorney said there was extensive press coverage of the initial outages, and the defendants could see how many people had lost power in the dead of winter when people rely on electricity for heat.
“They saw the harm they caused in the community, and they doubled down on that and went out and did it again,” Greenberg said.
Prosecutors said the last of the attacks was the most dangerous because it caused sparks that could have caused an electrical fire, and it caused the largest outage. Greenberg said at least 15,500 people lost power from all of the outages, but that the actual number was likely higher. It also created a risk of harm for law enforcement and power company employees who were called out in the middle of the night to fix the equipment.
In the days after the attacks, prosecutors said FBI agents surveilled Crahan and Greenwood, observing them lurking late at night near additional power stations. Greenwood later admitted they planned to fell trees to cause more outages, bringing along a chainsaw while they scouted power lines. They didn’t follow through on the plan before they were arrested in January 2023.
The damage to the energy facilities was $235,699, according to prosecutors. At the time of the men’s arrests, Tacoma Power estimated damage to their equipment closer to $3 million, and the utility said it would take up to three years to fix. Jessica Wilson, a spokesperson for Tacoma Public Utilities, said Friday in an email to The News Tribune that the substations were not yet fully repaired.
“We are sourcing replacement transformers and it will take multiple years to manufacture and ship them, given high global demand for this equipment,” Wilson said.
Tacoma Power switched to using two mobile transformers for the substations, bringing the stations’ combined output from 50 megawatts down to 15 megawatts, according to court records. Wilson said each replacement transformer is expected to cost $2.7 million. She said manufacturing costs had risen by 300 percent since 2020, and delivery times are beyond a year.
Prosecutors said the bill for the damages, $235,699, would be paid as restitution, with payment split between Puget Sound Energy and Tacoma Power. A U.S. District Court spokesperson said both Crahan and Greenwood will be expected to make monthly payments once they are released.
Hester said his client regrets his actions, and he believed this was the end of his criminal activity. According to court records, Crahan’s criminal history dates back to 2004 and includes convictions for property crimes, identity theft and other felonies.
Federal public defenders were assigned to represent both Crahan and Greenwood based on financial disclosures. Hester is representing Crahan because the Office of the Federal Public Defender can’t represent two co-defendants.
Crahan has struggled with substance abuse since he first used methamphetamine at 17, Hester said, and he said he hoped the man’s sentence would lead to him overcoming his addiction once and for all.
His time incarcerated was fraught by concerns regarding his medical condition, and he was hospitalized for five days in January. The defendant was released to electronic home monitoring in March to pursue outside medical treatment, but prosecutors said he was put back in custody because he used meth again.
Given a chance to address the court, Crahan said he wanted to continue treatment and address his medical issues, and he apologized for his actions.
“I am truly sorry for what I did, and I apologize for everything,” Crahan said.
This story was originally published December 8, 2023 at 10:57 AM.
