A federal jury failed to convict four men accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for the restrictions she ordered early in the pandemic, NBC News reports.
Adam Fox, 38, Barry Croft, 46, Daniel Harris, 24, and Brandon Caserta Jr. 33, faced federal charges for allegedly conspiring to kidnap the governor and faced life in prison if convicted.
Fox, Croft and Harris were also charged with knowingly conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction against persons or property, in an alleged plot to slow responding police. Additionally, Croft and Harris were charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device.
Harris was charged with possession of a semi-automatic assault rifle that wasn’t registered to him.
Harris and Caserta were found not guilty of kidnapping conspiracy. The jury also found Harris not guilty on the other charges.
No verdict was reached for Fox and Croft. US District Judge Robert Jonker declared a mistrial for those defendants.
The men were arrested in 2020 and charged after the FBI became aware of their plot to capture Gov. Whitmer from her vacation home and take her to Wisconsin where she’d be put on “trial,” for implementing pandemic restrictions in her state.
Gov. Whitmer has blamed Donald Trump for fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn right-wing extremists like those charged in the case.
