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ANNOUNCEMENTS•
One of the leaders of a group that plotted to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2020 has been sentenced to 16 years in prison.
The man, Adam Fox, is punished for his kidnapping scheme and intending to blow up a bridge in case he escapes. Fox’s sentence is the longest ever handed down for the kidnapping plot. That’s considerably shorter than the required life sentence.
Taken down by the FBI
Fox was found guilty of planning the kidnapping four months ago. The same was true for a second leader of the group, Barry Croft Jr. He will hear his sentence tomorrow.
Croft is said to have been responsible for bomb-making, while Fox is credited with being the prime mover, urging recruits to arm themselves, kidnap the Democratic governor, and kill anyone who gets in their way.
The judge called Fox’s 16-year prison sentence necessary “as a deterrent” to similar plans in the future, the AP news agency reports. According to the judge, life imprisonment is unnecessary to achieve that goal.
The FBI, having infiltrated the group, dismantled the group at the time before plans could be carried out. In total, thirteen men were arrested in October 2020.
Plan ahead of the pandemic
Two men who pleaded guilty and testified against Fox and Croft received substantial sentence reductions. They received two and a half and four years in prison. Other members of the group received prison sentences ranging from seven to 12 years, writes the AP.
The kidnapping plan stemmed in part from anger over corona restrictions Whitmer had introduced in Michigan, but according to the prosecutor, there was more to it.
“They wanted a second civil war or revolution,” he said. “They wanted to screw everything up for everyone. It wasn’t about masks or vaccines. They were talking about overthrowing the government before the corona pandemic. They had enough weapons and armor for a small war.”
trump
After the kidnapping plans were foiled, Whitmer accused then-President Trump of creating fertile ground for extremism. He said Trump has “stirred anger and provided comfort to those who spread fear, hatred and division.”
