A San Jose engineer has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison for carrying out a series of deliberate bombings targeting electrical transformers operated by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), attacks that caused widespread power outages, significant property damage, and risked serious harm to residents dependent on uninterrupted electricity for medical needs.
Peter Karasev, 39, was sentenced to 120 months in prison in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California after pleading guilty to two counts of willful destruction of an energy facility. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman and reflects the severity of the attacks and the national security implications associated with targeted infrastructure sabotage.
TARGETED ATTACKS ON ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE
According to court records, Karasev carried out two separate attacks in San Jose on December 8, 2022, and January 5, 2023. In both incidents, he used homemade explosive devices to damage electrical transformers involved in the production, transmission, and distribution of electricity.
One of the explosions, which occurred near the Plaza Del Ray shopping center on Snell Avenue, was captured on surveillance footage and showed a powerful blast that disrupted service across the surrounding area. Collectively, the attacks caused more than $200,000 in damage to nearby businesses and resulted in power outages affecting over 1,500 households.
Among those impacted were at least 15 households enrolled in PG&E’s Medical Baseline Program, which supports customers who rely on continuous electrical service for life-sustaining medical equipment. Prosecutors emphasized that the outages placed these individuals at heightened risk, elevating the gravity of the offenses beyond property damage alone.
PREMEDITATION AND TECHNICAL PREPARATION
Federal investigators determined that the attacks were premeditated and methodically planned. Karasev admitted to conducting extensive online research related to explosives, critical infrastructure vulnerabilities, and global conflicts involving infrastructure sabotage prior to carrying out the bombings.
Searches of his residence uncovered a large quantity of bomb-making materials, reinforcing concerns that Karasev possessed both the technical knowledge and the intent to carry out additional attacks. Authorities described his background and preparation as a significant escalation risk, particularly given the critical role of energy infrastructure in public safety and economic stability.
FEDERAL PROSECUTION AND NATIONAL SECURITY IMPLICATIONS
Prosecutors pursued the case under statutes designed to protect critical infrastructure, citing the potential for cascading harm caused by deliberate energy disruption. Federal officials characterized the attacks as direct threats to public safety, emphasizing that infrastructure sabotage can produce consequences far beyond the immediate blast zone.
The case was investigated jointly by the FBI and the San Jose Police Department, with prosecution led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California and the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
SENTENCING AND RESTITUTION
In addition to the ten-year prison sentence, the court ordered Karasev to serve three years of supervised release following incarceration. He was also ordered to pay $214,880.67 in restitution to cover damages and a $200 special assessment. Karasev was remanded into custody immediately following sentencing.
TRJ NOTE
The increasing attention federal authorities are placing on attacks against civilian infrastructure reflects growing concern over the vulnerability of energy systems that support hospitals, medical equipment, and densely populated communities. The deliberate targeting of electrical facilities — even at a localized level — carries national security implications due to the potential for cascading outages, public harm, and systemic disruption.
The sentence reflects a broader prosecutorial posture that treats infrastructure sabotage not as isolated vandalism, but as a serious federal crime with consequences that extend far beyond the point of impact.
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here’s hoping 2026 is filled with more grace and goodwill than we are seeing at the moment, across all layers of society, and best wishes to you and your readers.
Linda ❤️💚
Thank you very much, Linda — that’s very kind of you. Wishing you and our readers a steadier, more hopeful year ahead. I appreciate you taking the time to share that. I hope you have a great week ahead, and Merry Christmas. God bless you and yours.” 🎄✨❤️💚😎
🥰
I would really like to know what causes someone to do something like this. It seems so senseless. Whatever his reason, I’m sure it would sound insane to most people. Maybe he needs mental help. I did some research online and found that the motive for the bombings was not made clear. “When he was arrested in March 2023, investigators searched his home, vehicle and office and discovered multiple homemade explosives and more than 300 pounds of explosive precursor materials, as well as other hazardous chemicals, firearms and remote detonation devices. They also found crystal methamphetamine, which Karasev said at the time he took instead of Adderall.”
So, this man looks like he was self medicating. How did no one see what was going on in this person’s life? I can’t help but think that a family member or acquaintance could have alerted someone (maybe his employer?) to the possible dangers this guy was going to cause. If he was still working when this happened, I’m sure his fellow employees must have known he had a problem. I know I’m changing the subject but I also know that there are many people with mental problems in our prisons.
This organization knows the truth about the mentally ill in our prisons:
https://www.nami.org/advocacy/policy-priorities/improving-health/mental-health-treatment-while-incarcerated/
“Despite court mandates, there is a significant lack of access to adequate mental health care in incarcerated settings. About three in five people (63%) with a history of mental illness do not receive mental health treatment while incarcerated in state and federal prisons. It is also challenging for people to remain on treatment regimens once incarcerated. In fact, more than 50% of individuals who were taking medication for mental health conditions at admission did not continue to receive their medication once in prison.”
I don’t believe that we live in a Golden Age that our president speaks of. I will begin to consider a possible “Golden Age” when we learn how to care for people with mental health issues and when people aren’t living on the streets.
“In January 2024, over 771,000 people experienced homelessness in the U.S. on a single night, a record high, reflecting an 18% increase from 2023, primarily driven by the affordable housing crisis, rising inflation, and stagnant wages. This data comes from HUD’s Point-in-Time (PIT) count, which surveys sheltered and unsheltered individuals, though it may undercount some populations.”
I couldn’t find more recent numbers but I hope these numbers continue to be tracked.
I’m sorry about this rant, John, but I heard our president speak tonight and it appears all is right with the world after his year in office. I know otherwise. I know some things have improved, like the number of illegals coming across the border, but some things have gotten worse, like our national debt.
If this guy has a mental illness, it is no excuse for what he did. He is obviously a danger to the general public and, unless he gets some kind of intervention, he will continue to be. He still needs to be incarcerated for some time but, in a better world, someone would try to figure out if he is mentally ill or not during his incarceration. If a professional finds that he has a mental illness, there are many old and new medications to try to treat it. I’ve seen someone I thought had schizophrenia diagnosed with it by a qualified doctor in 15 minutes and I’m certainly no genius. It is not that we don’t have the ability to try and help these people, we don’t have the will to.
I am aware that a percentage of people with mental illnesses refuse medication. These two mental illnesses are known for that:
“The single most significant reason why individuals with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder fail to take their medication is because of their lack of awareness of their illness (anosognosia). The single most common reason cited by 55 percent of individuals was that they did not believe they were sick.”
https://www.nami.org/advocacy/policy-priorities/improving-health/mental-health-treatment-while-incarcerated/
Mental illness is a very difficult thing to deal with at times but we must at least try to help them. The most difficult thing to do is help someone who refuses help.
Anyway, thank you for this story, John, and for the other news you shared with us tonight. I hope you have a great night. May God bless you and yours always! 🙂
You’re very welcome, Chris — I appreciate you taking the time to lay this out. And rants are absolutely welcome here, no worries at all. I did read the NAMI material you linked. You’re right that the intersection of mental illness, incarceration, and public safety is one of the most difficult and least honestly addressed issues we face. The data you cited on treatment gaps in prisons is well documented, and the lack of continuity of care is a real, systemic problem.
In cases like this, it’s often impossible from the outside to determine where untreated mental illness ends and personal responsibility begins. Substance abuse, isolation, access to dangerous materials, and escalating behavior can compound quietly over time, especially when warning signs aren’t formally reported or acted on. That doesn’t excuse the harm caused — public safety must come first — but it does raise serious questions about how breakdowns in intervention happen long before violence occurs.
You’re also right that incarceration alone doesn’t resolve underlying mental health issues. If someone is dangerous, confinement is necessary, but identifying and treating mental illness during incarceration matters both for safety inside facilities and for what happens afterward. The tools exist. What’s often missing is consistent follow-through and institutional will.
I appreciate you raising this perspective and grounding it in documented data rather than speculation. These are hard conversations, but they’re necessary ones. Thanks again, Chris — I hope you have a great day ahead. 😎
Thank you for your patience with me, John. I’m glad you read the NAMI material. NAMI is a very good organization for the mentally ill.
You really nailed the problem when you stated:
“In cases like this, it’s often impossible from the outside to determine where untreated mental illness ends and personal responsibility begins.”
“Impossible” is the operative word there. We’ve both already stated that this man should have to be incarcerated for his crimes. There is no question about that. It would be nice, if he or anyone else who is found to have a mental illness, would be treated for their illness while in jail. Sometimes all it takes is a couple of months off medication for the mentally ill to be in a much worse condition. I can imagine that many are released to society in worse shape than they went in. Some of those have already “burned out” their families, so where do they go?
It is a huge problem.
Thank you for lending and ear, John. I don’t vent often but the combination of reading this article and listening to the “Golden Age” statement sent me into a tizzy.
Thank you for your kind words and I hope you have a good day as well!
This write-up is a clear, well-structured, and impactful account of a serious federal case with far-reaching implications. It effectively balances factual reporting with contextual insight, highlighting not only the criminal acts but also their human, infrastructural, and national security consequences. The emphasis on premeditation, public safety risks, and the vulnerability of critical energy systems adds depth and urgency to the narrative. Overall, it is a thoughtful and responsible piece that underscores why infrastructure sabotage is rightly treated as a grave offense, reinforcing the importance of accountability and protection of essential public services.
Thank you very much — I really appreciate you taking the time to read it closely and to articulate that response so thoughtfully.
That balance you noted was intentional. Cases involving infrastructure sabotage can’t be treated as isolated criminal acts, because the consequences ripple outward — into public safety, economic stability, and national security. Highlighting the premeditation and the systemic vulnerabilities involved is important, not to sensationalize the incident, but to accurately convey why these offenses are treated with such gravity under federal law.
I’m glad the piece conveyed both the factual weight of the case and the broader implications without losing clarity or restraint. Accountability matters in these situations, and so does understanding why protecting essential public services isn’t abstract — it’s foundational.
Thank you again for reading and for your thoughtful comment. 😎