Two men accused of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer were found guilty on Tuesday, capping one of the most disturbing stories about far-right extremism to emerge in the surreal 2020 election cycle.
Adam Fox was found guilty of kidnapping conspiracy and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. Barry Croft Jr. was convicted of the same charges—and possession of an unregistered destructive device. The convictions come four months after a jury was deadlocked on charges against Fox and Croft, which led prosecutors to try their case all over again.
Fox and Croft now face up to life in prison.
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The guilty verdict came after eight hours of deliberation, ending one chapter in a case that was marred by misconduct allegations against some of the FBI agents involved—and even included a “double agent” informant the feds effectively disavowed.
In April, a Michigan jury acquitted two of Croft and Fox’s co-defendants, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta of several charges, after five days of deliberation. The shocking result came after a lengthy trial in which prosecutors alleged the group staged a depraved scheme born out of anti-government anger at the Democratic leader’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Two other alleged conspirators, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, previously pleaded guilty to federal kidnapping conspiracy and testified on behalf of the government in both trials. Ten other individuals accused in the plot are still facing state charges.
“I want to thank the prosecutors and law enforcement officers for their hard work and my family, friends, and staff for their support,” Whitmer said in a statement after the verdict. “Today’s verdicts prove that violence and threats have no place in our politics and those who seek to divide us will be held accountable. They will not succeed.”
Prosecutors say the group, which included militia members and self-described patriots, spent months in 2020 hatching the violent plan after Whitmer locked down the state in an effort to mitigate the pandemic. The plot allegedly included plans to kidnap Whitmer, detonate a bridge to prevent cops from rescuing her, and even leave her stranded on a boat in the middle of Lake Michigan.
“Don’t forget the most important thing: These defendants were outside a woman’s house in the middle of the night with night-vision goggles, and guns, and a plan to kidnap her. And they made a bomb. That’s real enough, isn’t it?” Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler said in closing arguments on Monday. “They didn’t want to just kidnap her... They wanted to execute her.”
Fox—whom prosecutors described as one of the plot’s ringleaders—and Croft were said to be affiliated with the “Three Percenter” far-right, anti-government movement. The group name is a reference to the false notion that only a tiny fraction of residents of the 13 colonies fought in the American Revolution. Several current or former adherents to the bogus worldview were charged with conspiracy over the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Throughout both trials, defense attorneys for the two men said they were entrapped by an FBI informant, coaxed to participate in a plot they otherwise would never have become involved in.
“The FBI turned up the heat in early June by putting big talkers together at meetings,” Fox’s lawyer Christopher Gibbons said during closing statements Monday.
Whitmer is seeking a second term this fall against Tudor Dixon, a Republican who won an endorsement from Trump.
