Co-leader of Whitmer kidnapping plot gets 16 years in prison
Source: AP
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — The co-leader of a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was sentenced Tuesday to 16 years in prison for conspiring to abduct the Democrat and blow up a bridge to ease an escape. Adam Fox’s sentence is the longest of anyone convicted in the plot so far, though it’s significantly shorter than the life sentence that prosecutors sought.
Fox, 39, returned to federal court four months after he and Barry Croft Jr. were convicted of conspiracy charges at a second trial in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They were accused of organizing a wild plot to whip up anti-government extremists just before the 2020 presidential election. Their arrest, as well as the capture of 12 others, was a stunning coda to a tumultuous year of racial strife and political turmoil in the U.S.
The government said Croft offered bomb-making skills and ideology while Fox was the “driving force urging their recruits to take up arms, kidnap the governor and kill those who stood in their way.” But Judge Robert J. Jonker said that while Fox’s sentence was needed as a punishment and deterrent to future similar acts, the government’s request for life in prison is “not necessary to achieve those purposes.” “It’s too much. Something less than life gets the job done in this case,” Jonker said, later adding that 16 years behind bars “is still in my mind a very long time.”
Jonker said he also considered the emotional baggage Whitmer has to carry due to the plot. “It undoubtedly affects other people who are in public office or are considering public office,” he said. “They have to count the cost. That does need a forceful sentence from the court.”
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/gretchen-whitmer-politics-michigan-dd8c0cf8d7bb48e01c3befd4ed8db3ea
Article updated.
Previous article -
They were accused of being at the helm of a wild plot to whip up anti-government extremists just before the 2020 presidential election. Their arrest, as well as the capture of 12 others, was a stunning coda to a tumultuous year of racial strife and political turmoil in the U.S.
The government had pushed for a life sentence, saying Croft offered bomb-making skills and ideology while Fox was the "driving force urging their recruits to take up arms, kidnap the governor and kill those who stood in their way." But Judge Robert J. Jonker said that while Fox's sentence was needed as a punishment and deterrent to future similar acts, the government's request for life in prison is "not necessary to achieve those purposes."
"It's too much. Something less than life gets the job done in this case," Jonker said, later adding that 16 years in prison "is still in my mind a very long time." In addition to the 16-year prison sentence, Fox will have to serve five years of supervised release.
Original article -
Adam Fox returned to federal court Tuesday, four months after he and Barry Croft Jr. were convicted of conspiracy charges at a second trial in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
They were accused of being at the helm of a wild plot to whip up anti-government extremists just before the 2020 presidential election. Whitmer wasn't physically harmed. The FBI was secretly embedded in the group and broke things up with 14 arrests.
The government said Croft offered bomb-making skills and ideology while Fox was the "driving force urging their recruits to take up arms, kidnap the governor and kill those who stood in their way." Croft will be sentenced Wednesday.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Hi 
About 75 years too few. 
FILE - In this courtroom drawing, from left, Brandon Caserta with his attorney Michael Darragh Hills, defendants Adam Fox, center, and Ty Garbin appear during a hearing in federal court in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Oct. 16, 2020. Federal prosecutors told a judge Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, that a life prison sentence would be justified for Fox, the leader of a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, saying his goal to turn the country upside down in 2020 was a forerunner of rampant anti-government extremism. (Jerry Lemenu via AP, File)
This is a just sentence, I believe. He gets 16 years in prison, or 13 would be the minimum, plus 5 years of supervised release once he gets out. If this guy doesn't get rehabilitated in prison, at least he can't be a danger to society while he's in there.
