Whitmer Kidnapping Plotters Face Federal Sentences as State Trial Begins

     The Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot case has been a rollercoaster of emotions and developments as we seek to hold accountable the plotters of the largest act of domestic terrorism in modern American history up to that point. Before trial began, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and testify against their co-defendants. While Garbin was initially sentenced to 75 months in prison, in exchange for his testimony, the DOJ asked a court to reduce his sentence, and they obliged, knocking it down to just 30 months. Franks, meanwhile, was sentenced yesterday to four years in prison for his actions, as well as three years of supervised release and a $2,500 fine.

     These are relatively short prison sentences, but it is worth it for two guaranteed convictions of lower-level conspirators in exchange for testimony against higher-level ones at trial. The first federal trial in this case was a sad one: Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta were acquitted and the jury deadlocked on charges against Adam Fox and Barry Croft after the redneck meatheads actually bought the entrapment defense. Thankfully, the Justice Department persevered, and the second trial resulted in Fox and Croft being convicted on all charges. They face likely decades-long prison sentences when they learn their fates in December; we learned this sentencing date just yesterday.

     With this, the federal proceedings in this case are wrapping up. The state trials will now begin against the eight men accused of aiding and abetting the six core conspirators with the purchase of military gear, weapons, explosives, and other items as well as other supporting roles in this planned operation. Right now, three of these eight men-- Joe Morrison, Pete Musico, and Paul Bellar-- are on trial for felony charges that could earn them up to 20 years in prison. We shall see how state court plays out in comparison to federal court.

     One thing is clear, however: there is an advantage to state and federal agencies being involved, and I am calling on both levels of government to use this advantage. With Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta, two of the ringleaders of the plot, being acquitted in federal court, they need to face state charges for their terroristic acts. If (and hopefully this does not happen), a single one of these suspects is acquitted in state court, they need to face federal charges. The trials of Fox and Croft proved that it is much more difficult to escape conviction in two trials than in one, and we need to make sure not a single one of these 14 men escape justice for their actions.