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A Michigan federal judge has sentenced a man convicted of plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer sentenced to 16 years in prison on Tuesday.
Prosecutors said Adam Fox was the leader of a plot to kidnap the Democratic governor from her summer residence in 2020.
A jury convicted Fox and an accomplice August Charged with kidnapping, conspiracy and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction.
There is a need for the public to understand the cost of this type of wrongdoing and certainly also specific deterrence. And there’s an impact on our overall system of government, not just a physical threat to our sitting governor, it’s the emotional baggage that our governor will now have to carry that she talks about in her report,” said Justice Robert Jonker. in court ahead of Fox posting a jail sentence on Tuesday.
He added: “And beyond that, it not only affects our own governor’s willingness and eagerness to continue in office, but no doubt affects others who hold public office or are contemplating a public service.”
Prosecutors asked the judge to sentence Fox to life in prison — the maximum sentence under federal guidelines for his convictions.
“One could fairly say that none of this would have happened if Mr. Fox had not been involved,” prosecutor Nils Kessler said in court on Tuesday.
Jonker told the court that a life sentence is not necessary to deter potential violence against public officials.
By advising that a life sentence applies here, sends a clear message about the severity of the sentence that is warranted for Fox. Public officials should never have to worry about their safety, or that of their families, because of the tough decisions their jobs require. If our elected leaders have to live in fear, our representative government suffers,” prosecutors said in a sentencing note.
Fox’s defense attorney, Christopher Gibbons, told the judge on Tuesday that the prosecution “exaggerates the reality of the conduct that was alleged and what was actually accomplished by Adam Fox in the summer of 2020.”
Fox declined to speak on his own behalf during his sentencing hearing. “I’m happy with what my attorney said,” Fox told the judge.
In a sentencing memo, Gibbons asked the court to sentence Fox to around four to six years in prison, which he said is aligned with the prison sentences handed down for co-defendants who pleaded guilty before trial and received lighter sentences for cooperating against Fox. and others.
Defense attorneys have always maintained an entreptive defense, arguing that the FBI coerced the defendants into advancing the conspiracy through a collection of undercover agents and confidential informants.
Prosecutors rejected that argument in court, however, noting that Fox had expressed no remorse. “This defendant is going to jail and will likely come out more radicalized than when he entered and will remain a danger to the public,” Kessler said.
Jonker recommended substance abuse and mental health assessments and treatment for Fox.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel hailed the sentencing decision as “a clear message that domestic terrorism will not be tolerated.”
Adam Fox’s actions have undermined the safety of every Michigan resident. I remain deeply grateful to Judge Jonker, the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, the Michigan State Police, and everyone who worked together to see justice done,” Nessel said Tuesday.
Another person involved in the plot, Barry Croft, is due to be sentenced on Wednesday. Croft was part of the plan with Fox and the others, and practiced detonating explosives in preparation, prosecutors said at trial.
Additionally, earlier this month, three other men involved in the plot – Pete Musico, Joseph Morrison and Paul Bellar – have all been convicted of gang involvement, supporting a terrorist act and carrying or possessing a firearm while committing a crime, according to the attorney general’s office from Michigan.
Musico and Bellar must serve a minimum of 12 years and seven years, respectively. The group’s alleged “commander”, Morrison – who, according to affidavits filed with the Attorney General’s office, went by the name “Boogaloo Bunyan” online – must serve a minimum sentence of 11 years.
This story has been updated with additional details.
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