Court affirms convictions of 2 key people in plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor
Court affirms convictions of 2 key people in plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor
This combo of images provided by the Kent County, Mich., Jail. shows Barry Croft Jr., left, and Adam Fox, who were convicted of leading a plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor in 2020 and start a civil war. (Kent County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File)
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks during a campaign event, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Flint, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
This combo of images provided by the Kent County, Mich., Jail. shows Barry Croft Jr., left, and Adam Fox, who were convicted of leading a plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor in 2020 and start a civil war. (Kent County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File)
This combo of images provided by the Kent County, Mich., Jail. shows Barry Croft Jr., left, and Adam Fox, who were convicted of leading a plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor in 2020 and start a civil war. (Kent County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File)
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks during a campaign event, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Flint, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks during a campaign event, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Flint, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
DETROIT (AP) — An appeals court on Tuesday affirmed the convictions of two men who were accused of leading a plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor in 2020 and start a civil war.
Lawyers for Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. had argued that their right to pursue a vigorous entrapment defense was greatly diminished by the rulings of a trial judge in western Michigan, among other claims.
The court, however, said any errors by the judge were harmless.
“The jury saw and heard a host of video and audio recordings of defendants promising violence, planning and participating in trainings, bringing their own weapons and material, and plotting the abduction without reluctance,” the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a 3-0 opinion.
The arrests of Fox, Croft and other anti-government extremists rocked the home stretch of the 2020 presidential election. Authorities said the cabal wanted to grab Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at her vacation home and start a civil war.
Fox, 41, and Croft, 49, were portrayed as leaders. They were convicted of conspiracy at a second trial in 2022 after the first trial in Grand Rapids ended without a unanimous verdict. Croft, a trucker from Delaware, was also found guilty of a weapons charge.
The evidence revealed trips to northern Michigan to scout Whitmer’s second home and a nearby bridge, tactical training inside a so-called kill house and a digital trail of disgust for public officials, especially during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Whitmer was never physically harmed. FBI agents were monitoring the group for months and keeping state police informed.
Fox and Croft are being held at a prison in Colorado — the most secure in the federal system — after being sentenced to nearly 20 years for Croft and 16 years for Fox.
They were described by their lawyers as hapless, pot-smoking, vulgar loudmouths provoked by cunning FBI agents, not rebels.
“In America, the FBI is not supposed to create domestic terrorists so that the FBI can arrest them,” Fox attorney Christopher Gibbons told the jury.
The overall courtroom results from the investigation were uneven for prosecutors: There were five acquittals among the 14 people charged in state or federal court.
In 2020, Whitmer blamed President Donald Trump for stoking mistrust and fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn right-wing extremists. When he was out of office, Trump cast doubt on the kidnapping scheme, calling it a “fake deal.”