Engineer Sentenced To 10 Years After Pleading Guilty To Bombing PG&E Transformers

SAN JOSE, CA — A 39-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for bombing two PG&E transformers in San Jose in late 2022 and early 2023, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Peter Karasev, an engineer from San Jose, pleaded guilty in April to two counts of willful destruction of an energy facility for the two attacks using homemade explosives on transformers on Dec. 8, 2022 near the Westfield Oakridge mall and on Jan. 5, 2023 near the Plaza Del Rey shopping center, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California.

The first bombing left more than 1,450 people without power for almost 16 hours, while the second impacted dozens more homes and businesses, prosecutors said. The two attacks were estimated to have caused a total of more than $200,000 in damage.

Karasev was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman on Tuesday to the 10-year term in federal prison.

Investigators said Karasev admitted the attacks were premeditated, and he had done extensive internet searches about explosive materials, infrastructure attacks, and geopolitical conflicts.

"Karasev's attacks on critical infrastructure were direct threats to public safety and national security," U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian said in a statement. "He aimed to inflict widespread disruption and harm, but we remain steadfast in our commitment to holding accountable those who threaten the safety and well-being of the residents of San Jose."

Along with the prison term, he has been sentenced to three years of probation and was ordered to pay more than $214,000 in restitution, prosecutors said.


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