San Jose engineer Peter Karasev, 38, has entered a plea of guilty to federal charges related to the bombings of PG&E electrical transformers. These incidents caused significant property damage and led to widespread power outages last year. As reported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Karasev confessed to the deliberate attacks on two occasions, December 8, 2022, and January 5, 2023, which disrupted service to over 1,500 homes and businesses in the San Jose area.
These outages inconvenienced residents and raised serious concerns about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure. The Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Robbins lauded the "swift work of law enforcement officers to investigate these threats to critical infrastructure, bring the defendant to justice, and prevent further harm to the residents of San Jose." Additionally, Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, emphasized the severity of targeting a nation's infrastructure, saying, per the U.S. Department of Justice, "Attacks on America’s critical infrastructure are attacks targeting the heart of our nation's security. They will be treated like the grave threat they are to our country."
Upon arresting Karasev on March 1, 2023, authorities found an alarming collection of dangerous materials, including multiple homemade explosive devices, more than 300 pounds of explosive precursors, and firearms, further illustrating the potential for even greater destruction had the situation not been contained. The investigation, a joint effort between the FBI and the San Jose Police Department, reportedly revealed that Karasev had conducted extensive online research on explosives and infrastructure attacks in addition to his physical preparations for the bombings.
According to the plea agreement, Karasev is facing a sentence ranging from approximately 8.5 to 10.5 years in federal prison, along with an obligation to pay restitution of no less than $104,076.26 for the damages sustained. Sentencing is scheduled for August 19, as detailed in the information brought forward by the Justice Department.
