Puyallup man pleads guilty to federal conspiracy charge in WA power substation attacks

Peter Talbot
·2 min read
3

A Puyallup man pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court to a conspiracy charge for his role in the Christmas Day 2022 attacks on power substations in Pierce County.

Matthew Greenwood, 32, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to destroy energy facilities, U.S. Attorney Nicholas Brown announced. In a news release, Brown said Greenwood admitted that he and co-defendant Jeremy Crahan, 40, vandalized four power substations and plotted to fell trees to take out power lines. Brown said both men were arrested before the tree plan was put into action.

Greenwood is to be sentenced July 21. Brown said he could face up to 20 years in prison. His co-defendant remains charged with conspiracy to attack energy facilities, and his case is pending.

Federal agents: Two Puyallup men arrested and charged for Christmas substation attacks

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Greenwood and Crahan planned to disrupt power so they could break into ATMs and businesses to steal money. The stations that were targeted were Graham and Elk Plain substations operated by Tacoma Power and Kapowsin and Hemlock substations operated by Puget Sound Energy. Officials said at each station, the men cut through gates or fences to gain access to breakers and switches.

The men tampered with switches, damaging equipment and causing widespread outages, according to the release. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said more than 15,500 customers were affected. The News Tribune previously reported that damage to the Tacoma Power substations was estimated to be at least $3 million.

After the initial attacks, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Greenwood and Crahan looked for more ways to cause power outages by felling trees. According to the release, their goal was to cut power so they could burglarize businesses and steal from ATMs. They were arrested in January following an investigation that involved the FBI and local law enforcement.

Prosecutors have agreed to recommend that Greenwood’s sentence be at the low end of the standard sentencing range. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that since his arrest, the defendant has been in intensive drug treatment.