The verdict against Adam Fox, 39, and Barry Croft Jr., 46, comes about four months after a federal judge in Grand Rapids, Michigan declared a mistrial in the same case. Two other defendants were acquitted in the first trial. The pair, who the government said were members of the Three Percenters militia group, were also found guilty of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction — an explosive device that prosecutors say was intended to hinder law enforcement’s response to the planned kidnapping. Croft was found guilty of an additional charge of possession of an explosive device. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register The men face the possibility of life in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been announced. The conspiracy was aimed at stopping the Democratic governor’s orders to stop the spread of the coronavirus in the early days of the pandemic, prosecutors alleged. By kidnapping the governor and putting her “on trial”, they said, the men hoped to push the country into open conflict as the disputed November 2020 presidential election approached. “They wanted to start a second American Civil War and a second American Revolution,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler told jurors during closing arguments Monday. “They didn’t just want to kidnap her,” Kessler said, referring to Whitmer. “They wanted to execute her.” After the verdicts, Whitmer, who is running for re-election in November, warned of the dangers of “radicalized domestic terrorism.” (L-R) Adam Fox, 39, and Barry Croft Jr., 46, in a combination picture. REUTERS/Kent County Sheriff’s Department read more “I cannot – I will not – let extremists get in the way of the work we do,” she said in a statement issued by her office. “They will never break my unshakable faith in the goodness and decency of our people.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge said in a statement Tuesday that the threat to Whitmer also put bystanders at risk and that no elected official should be targeted in such a way. “Today’s verdict confirms that this plot was very real and very dangerous,” Birge said. “The Department of Justice will not tolerate violent extremist plots of this nature that seek to undermine our democracy.” The 12-member jury panel deliberated for about eight hours over two days, according to the Detroit News. In the retrial, prosecutors again used testimony from FBI informants and two key witnesses who pleaded guilty to kidnapping for conspiracy. While planning the kidnapping, Fox drew up a list of tools the conspirators would need, including handcuffs and a hood to cover Whitmer’s head, prosecutors said according to the Detroit News during the trial. A makeshift house was built to simulate the invasion of the governor’s northern Michigan cottage and her abduction, they claimed. In their closing arguments, attorneys for Croft and Fox told jurors that the government’s case was a trap. They said their clients committed no crimes and criticized the FBI’s use of informants in the case, the Detroit News reported. “The FBI shouldn’t exist to make people look like terrorists when they’re not,” Joshua Blanchard, Croft’s attorney, told jurors. The two are among 13 men arrested in October 2020 and charged with state or federal crimes in the alleged kidnapping plot. Seven of them face charges in state court. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reporting by Tyler Clifford in New York Editing by Matthew Lewis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
