Texas man sentenced to 10 years in prison for plotting to attack Virginia data center

A Texas man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison on Wednesday after he was accused of plotting to blow up a data center in Virginia, the U.S. Dept. of Justice said.

Seth Aaron Pendley, 28, was arrested in Fort Worth in April after the DOJ said he attempted to obtain an explosive device from an undercover FBI employee.

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Pendley pleaded guilty in June and his sentence was carried out Wednesday.

Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Prerak Shah said in a statement he gives credit to the FBI employee who put his life on the line to disrupt Pendley’s plot before inflicting harm.

According to court documents, Pendley admitted he disclosed his plan to blow up an Amazon data center to a confidential source in January and sent out a list of potential targets in an attempt to “kill off 70% of the internet.” He also admitted to plotting attacks on web servers that provided services to federal agencies.

The news release also pointed out Pendley was present during the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Reports said he was armed with a rifle.


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A graduate of the University of Houston-Downtown, Ana moved to H-Town from sunny southern California in 2015. In 2020, she joined the KPRC 2 digital team as an intern. Ana is a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur, a catmom of 3, and an aquarium enthusiast. In her spare time, she's an avid video gamer and loves to travel.