3 accused of assisting governor kidnapping plot stand trial
An FBI agent has testified that postings in online chatrooms by members of a paramilitary group connected to a 2020 anti-government plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer included instructions on how to make explosives.
Jury picked in 2nd trial in Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot
A jury has been selected in the second trial of two men charged with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over their disgust with restrictions early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
1st day ends with no verdict in Michigan Gov. Whitmer plot
Jurors have gone home without reaching a verdict after the first day of deliberations in the trial of four men accused of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Jury hears man discuss plan to abduct Mich. Gov. Whitmer
Prosecutors have played covertly recorded audio for jurors in which a man charged in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer specifically mentions abducting the Democrat.
Lawyers: FBI lured men for Michigan Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot
Attorneys for four men charged with planning to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are telling jurors they were swayed by informants and federal agents who targeted them for their anti-government views.
Whitmer kidnapping plot defense seeks to dismiss indictment
Defense attorneys have sought to dismiss the indictment against five men accused of plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer because of what they describe as โegregious overreachingโ by federal agents and informants.
![Judge finds cases against 5 in Whitmer plot can move forward](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/-IK2SWRZSFZyQlc4TsvAZ7grjH0=/1600x1845/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/M5OIJEREJRGWDCDOXSLQCVON4Y.jpg)
Judge finds cases against 5 in Whitmer plot can move forward
U.S. Magistrate Judge Sally Berens said the five men's cases can go to a grand jury, which will determine whether to issue indictments. Berens on Tuesday denied bond for the three other Michigan residents charged in the case: Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta. Agent Richard Trask testified that members of anti-government paramilitary groups from several states discussed abducting Whitmer or Virginia Democratic Gov. Authorities found conversations among group members in which they were worried that federal authorities had infiltrated their planning sessions, he said. Berens found that the information presented showed the men had a unified purpose โ to kidnap Whitmer โ allowing the case to move forward.
![Agent: Michigan, Virginia governors mentioned in kidnap plot](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/p5MHl3FgQXgwJh8Q06kzXaeA4NU=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/RJA2FBJ6MVE3DK3224KKREXXBE.jpg)
Agent: Michigan, Virginia governors mentioned in kidnap plot
A judge ordered three of six men charged in the case held without bond until trial, delaying rulings on two defendants. It wasnโt immediately clear if talk of targeting Virginiaโs Democratic governor, Ralph Northam, continued beyond the meeting. Trask, the FBI agent, testified that authorities learned of the June meeting in Ohio while investigating various anti-government groups. Some defendants conducted surveillance of her northern Michigan house in August and September, according to the complaint. Michigan, and particularly the Detroit area, were hit hard early during the pandemic, leading Whitmer to tightly restrict personal movement and the economy.