PORTLAND—A Centralia, Washington, man pleaded guilty yesterday to damaging a Portland area energy facility.
Nathaniel Cheney, 31, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of damaging an energy facility.
According to court documents, on November 28, 2022, Cheney and others caused $26,000 of damage to the Sunnyside substation in Clackamas, Oregon, operated by Portland General Electric (PGE), by damaging the control equipment necessary for the operation of the substation.
Cheney and at least one accomplice accessed the site by cutting through a perimeter fence. They then deliberately damaged control equipment essential for the substation’s operation, including circuit breakers and monitoring systems, using tools to smash components. Zachary Rosenthal, 33, of Tacoma, Washington was identified as the co-conspirator in the Sunnyside attack.
On March 12, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Cheney with damaging an energy facility.
Cheney faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced on February 18, 2026, before a U.S. District Court Judge.
As part of the plea agreement, Cheney has agreed to pay restitution in full as recommended by the government.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau Investigation with assistance from the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Parakram Singh and Geoffrey Barrow, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
