Engineer indicted on attack on San Jose energy facilities
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it had indicted a California resident for his part in an attack on energy facilities in San Jose.
According to court documents, Peter Karasev, 36, was indicted Oct. 19 for attacking two PG&E transformers in San Jose on Dec. 8, 2022 and Jan. 5, 2023. Karasev was charged with knowingly and willfully damaging the property of two energy facilities and attempting to cause or cause significant interruption and impairment of those energy facilities. The indictment also alleges Karasev used fire and an explosive to commit a felony.
“These charges make clear that those who attack our country’s critical infrastructure will be met with the full force of the Justice Department,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said. “We have charged Peter Karasev with bombing two energy transformers in Northern California, leaving more than 1,500 households and businesses in the San Jose community without power.”
According to the indictment, Karasev built explosive devices and then used them to damage the transformers at two energy facilities in San Jose. The attack knocked out power to more than 1,500 homes and businesses in the area. For months before the attack, Karasev built and experimented with homemade explosives, as well as manufactured methamphetamine, in his home, officials said.
Karasev was arrested in March 2023. At the time of his arrest, Karasev was allegedly in possession of a number of explosive devices, as well as multiple firearms, additional weapons, more than 300 pounds of explosive precursor materials and other hazardous substances.
If convicted, Karasev faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, and a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release for each count.
“The defendant in this case allegedly used explosives to try to cut off electricity to more than 1,500 San Jose businesses and residences,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California. “Damaging our region’s critical infrastructure endangers innocent victims – including our most vulnerable citizens such as the elderly and the sick – and we will not tolerate it. We will vigorously prosecute any malicious attempts to disrupt the power grid.”
