Garrison, a 43-year-old man from Pennsylvania, has been charged with wire fraud and other crimes related to the theft of copper wire from decommissioned power plants.
In a shocking case, Michael Garrison, a 43-year-old man from Croydon, PA, has been accused of causing more than $1.5 million in damage to decommissioned power plants across the Philadelphia region. Garrison allegedly stole copper wire and other metal, which he then sold to scrap yards in Philadelphia for a significant profit.
The Information alleges that starting in 2018 and continuing until August 2021, Garrison broke into shuttered coal-fired power plants, including Titus Station in Berks County, Cromby Station in Chester County, Southward Generating Station in Philadelphia, and the Gould Street Generating Station in Baltimore, Maryland. On approximately 175 separate occasions between January 2020 and August 2021, Garrison sold stolen scrap to a Philadelphia scrap yard, for which he was paid more than $117,000.
However, the payment Garrison received paled in comparison to the damage he caused to the power plants. For example, the Information alleges that in the summer of 2021 alone, Garrison caused more than $1.5 million worth of damage to Titus Station in order to expose and pull the copper wire and other metal that he stole from that facility.
Garrison is also charged with filing a false 2020 U.S. Income Tax Return that failed to declare the more than $62,000 he was paid that year from the Philadelphia scrap yard.
“Stealing or vandalizing energy facilities – operational or not – is a federal offense which will be vigorously prosecuted by our Office,” said U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael S. Lowe and Judy Smith.
An Information is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Michael Garrison, 43, of Croydon, PA, is charged by Information with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to destroy an energy facility, eight counts of wire fraud, two counts of destruction of an energy facility, and one count of filing a false tax return.
Defendant: Michael Garrison
Criminal Charges: One count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to destroy an energy facility, eight counts of wire fraud, two counts of destruction of an energy facility, and one count of filing a false tax return.
City and State: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Exact Date: The Information alleges that starting in 2018 and continuing until August 2021.
Sentence or Outcome: The case is ongoing.
Dollar Amounts: More than $1.5 million in damage, more than $117,000 in payments, and more than $62,000 in unreported income.
Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Cybercrime|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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