A Michigan man was sentenced today to 16 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiring to kidnap the Governor and using weapons of mass destruction.
An 11-day retrial in August 2022 resulted in the conviction of Adam Fox, 39, of Wyoming, Michigan, and Barry Croft Jr., 47, of Bear, Delaware. As a result of court documents and evidence presented at trial, Fox and Croft intended to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer from her vacation cottage near Elk Rapids, Michigan.
Their criminal charges came as a result of their intention to harm and hinder the governor’s security detail and any responding police officers. In particular, they considered placing a bomb under an overpass near a pedestrian boardwalk.
In addition, Croft was convicted of possessing an improvised explosive device- a firework refashioned with shrapnel to serve as a hand grenade. A jury failed to reach a verdict during an earlier trial.
A total of four conspirators were convicted in the plot, with Fox being the third to be sentenced. Tomorrow, Croft is scheduled to be sentenced.
Ty Garbin, 27, of Hartland, Michigan, pleaded guilty in January 2021 and received an initial sentence of 75 months in prison. After considering his cooperation at both trials, the district court reduced his sentence to 30 months, or two and a half years.
In both trials, Kaleb Franks, 28, of Waterford, Michigan, testified and pleaded guilty to both charges. He was sentenced to four years in prison. In August 2022, co-defendants Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta were acquitted.
Several FBI offices participated in the investigation, including the Baltimore Field Office, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, Michigan State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.