Gretchen Whitmer Kidnapping Plot: Verdicts, Vacatur, and Pardons

The Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot was a 2020 conspiracy by members of anti-government militia groups to abduct Michigan’s governor from her vacation home, put her through a mock “trial” for treason, and disrupt the November election. Fourteen people were charged in federal and state court. Across the trials that followed, nine were convicted or pleaded guilty and five were acquitted, and the case has continued to move through appeals and clemency debates into 2026.

What the Plotters Planned

Federal prosecutors said the conspiracy centered on grabbing Whitmer from her cottage near Elk Rapids, Michigan, and taking her somewhere secure to face a mock treason “trial.” The group ran multiple surveillance trips near the home, talked about setting off explosives to slow down the police response, tested an improvised explosive device packed with shrapnel, and bought a taser for use during the abduction. They also discussed placing a bomb under an interstate overpass near a pedestrian boardwalk to further tie up law enforcement.¹²

They used encrypted messaging, code words, and other operational security measures. They ran armed tactical training on private properties in Michigan and Wisconsin, practicing door entries and room clearance. The plan was meant to be carried out before the November 3, 2020 presidential election.³

The FBI and Michigan State Police moved on October 8, 2020, as several of the men gathered to pool money for explosives and swap tactical gear. Six were charged federally with conspiracy to kidnap. Seven more were charged under Michigan’s Anti-Terrorism Act.¹

Who Was Charged

The six federal defendants were Adam Fox, Barry Croft Jr., Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris, and Brandon Caserta. Prosecutors described Fox as the “driving force” behind the plot and a leader of the Michigan Patriot Three Percenters. Croft, from Delaware, was identified as a fellow ringleader and an alleged national figure in the Three Percenter movement. Caserta was linked to the “Boogaloo” movement.⁴

The state defendants were mostly tied to a militia group called the Wolverine Watchmen. They included Joseph Morrison and Pete Musico, the group’s co-founders (and father-in-law and son-in-law), and Paul Bellar, a former soldier who ran their tactical training. Also charged at the state level were twins William and Michael Null, Eric Molitor, Shawn Fix, and Brian Higgins, who was affiliated with a Wisconsin-based Three Percenter militia.⁴

Why They Targeted Whitmer

The conspirators were furious over Whitmer’s COVID-19 emergency orders, which included stay-at-home mandates and business closures they viewed as unconstitutional. They called Whitmer a “tyrant” and talked about “violently overthrowing” parts of the government they considered illegitimate. Members of the Wolverine Watchmen and allied groups had taken part in armed protests at the Michigan capitol in Lansing in April 2020.³

A grand jury indictment in April 2021 formally alleged the defendants were “engaged in domestic terrorism.” Federal law does not include a standalone domestic terrorism charge, but the framing carried sentencing implications.⁴

The Informant Problem

Government informants and undercover agents were embedded in the group from early on, and that became the defense’s main argument at every trial: that the FBI had effectively manufactured the plot.

The central informant was Dan Chappel, an Iraq War veteran and firearms instructor known in the group as “Big Dan.” He found the Wolverine Watchmen on Facebook in early 2020 while looking for a training group and went to law enforcement after seeing chats about killing police and overthrowing the government. The FBI gave him recording devices and told him not to suggest ideas or help develop attack plans.⁵

On the stand, Chappel admitted he had not stuck to those instructions. He acknowledged encouraging Fox to stay in the group, suggesting they gather intelligence on Whitmer’s vacation home, and proposing tactics like firing a bullet through a window or using Tannerite to blow down a door. He said he sometimes had to “make things up on the fly” to maintain cover. Asked whether the defense’s description of him as the “true architect” of the plot was fair, Chappel answered: “Following the group, yes.”⁵⁶

Other operatives included Steve Robeson, an informant at key planning meetings, and Timothy Bates, an undercover agent posing as a weapons supplier who negotiated $4,000 for explosives and $600 for flash grenades.⁷

The government’s credibility took another hit in July 2021, when FBI Special Agent Richard Trask, who had signed the original criminal complaint, was arrested for assaulting his wife after what was described in court as a “swingers party.” He later pleaded no contest, lost his FBI career, and was removed from the case. Defense lawyers made repeated use of the arrest at trial.⁸⁹

How the Federal Cases Ended

Ty Garbin was the first to plead guilty, entering his plea in January 2021 and agreeing to cooperate. He testified for the prosecution in both federal trials. He was initially sentenced to 75 months, but in September 2022, U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker reduced that to 30 months in recognition of his cooperation.¹⁰¹¹

Kaleb Franks pleaded guilty in February 2022 and also testified for the government. Judge Jonker sentenced him on October 6, 2022, to four years in prison and three years of probation. Franks apologized in court to Whitmer and her family.¹²

The remaining four federal defendants stood trial together in March 2022 in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids. After 20 days, the jury acquitted Daniel Harris on all four counts and Brandon Caserta on his single kidnapping conspiracy charge. Jurors deadlocked on Fox and Croft, producing a mistrial.¹³

Fox and Croft were retried in August 2022. This time the jury convicted both on all counts. Fox was found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. Croft was convicted of those same charges plus possession of an unregistered destructive device, an improvised explosive built from a commercial firework packed with shrapnel.²

On December 27, 2022, Judge Jonker sentenced Fox to 192 months (16 years) followed by five years of supervised release. The next day, he sentenced Croft to 235 months, nearly 20 years. The judge called Croft “the more seriously culpable” of the two, describing him as the “idea guy” who fed Fox a “wrong” and “twisted” ideology. Prosecutors had sought life; Judge Jonker declined.¹⁴¹⁵

Fox and Croft appealed, arguing the evidence was insufficient and their talk was “fanciful” rather than a real conspiracy. Croft added that his statements were protected political speech. On April 1, 2025, a three-judge panel of the Sixth Circuit unanimously affirmed the convictions in a 43-page opinion, finding the record “replete with evidence” of an agreement to kidnap Whitmer and calling the actions “a textbook conspiracy.” On entrapment, the panel said the defendants were “ready and willing to commit these crimes long before being introduced to any government informants.”¹⁶¹⁷

How the State Cases Ended

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office prosecuted the state cases in two different counties, with sharply different results.

In Jackson County, Joseph Morrison, Pete Musico, and Paul Bellar were tried together. In October 2022, a jury convicted all three of providing material support for a terrorist act, gang membership, and possessing a firearm during a felony. On December 15, 2022, Judge Thomas Wilson sentenced Musico to a minimum of 12 years with consecutive terms, Morrison to a minimum of 10 years (up to 20), and Bellar to 7 years.¹⁸¹⁹

In Antrim County, Shawn Fix and Brian Higgins both pleaded guilty to reduced charges and agreed to cooperate. Fix was sentenced to 36 to 240 months for providing material support for a terrorist act. Higgins received 36 months of probation with credit for 217 days in jail.²⁰

The last three state defendants, Eric Molitor, William Null, and Michael Null, went to trial in Antrim County in September 2023. After 14 days, the jury acquitted all three. William Null testified that he and his brother had broken away from the group once conversations turned to explosives. Molitor’s defense argued that Fox was “incredibly dumb” and could not have pulled off a real kidnapping. Defense attorney William Barnett said jurors privately indicated the evidence did not meet the threshold for “material support.”²¹²²

Morrison’s Conviction Vacated in 2026

On June 9, 2026, a Michigan Court of Appeals panel unanimously vacated Joseph Morrison’s convictions. Judges Mark Boonstra, Brock Swartzle, and Thomas Cameron held that the trial court had wrongly told the jury that kidnapping counted as a “violent felony” under Michigan’s Antiterrorism Act. A 2006 amendment to the state’s kidnapping statute had removed the element of force, and the panel found that kidnapping therefore no longer met the statutory definition of a violent felony and could not serve as the basis for a material support conviction.²³

Because it could not tell whether the jury had relied on the flawed kidnapping theory or on other valid grounds such as murder, the panel said the instruction “tainted the jury’s verdict.” The court acknowledged that the 2006 amendment appeared to be a legislative oversight but said the fix belongs to the Legislature.²⁴

Nessel called the ruling “completely and irredeemably nonsensical, outrageous and irresponsible” and said she would appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court. Whitmer’s chief of staff, JoAnne Huls, said the decision “invites a culture of fear and violence.” Morrison remains incarcerated, and the appellate decision does not become effective for 56 days or until the Michigan Supreme Court acts on any appeal.²⁵²⁶

Trump’s Pardon Consideration

On May 28, 2025, President Donald Trump told reporters he was “weighing” pardons for the men convicted in the federal case. He called the prosecution “somewhat of a railroad job” and said: “It looked to me like some people said some stupid things. They were drinking and I think they said stupid things, but I’ll take a look at that.”²⁷

The comments came shortly after the Sixth Circuit affirmed Fox and Croft’s convictions, a ruling joined by two Trump-appointed judges. Justice Department pardon attorney Ed Martin Jr. said he would take a “hard look” at the cases and compared the defendants to January 6 participants, calling them “victims” of the “weaponization of government.”²⁸²⁹

Whitmer told a Michigan television station she was “disappointed that they’re even considering it” and said: “We have to condemn political violence, no matter where it comes from, no matter who it’s aimed at.”³⁰

As of mid-2026, no pardons have been granted and no formal clemency petitions have been publicly reported. Any pardon would only reach the federal convictions; the state sentences would remain in place.²⁸

The Full Scorecard

Convicted at federal trial: Adam Fox (16 years) and Barry Croft Jr. (nearly 20 years), both affirmed on appeal.
Pleaded guilty in federal court: Ty Garbin (reduced to 30 months after cooperation) and Kaleb Franks (4 years).
Acquitted in federal court: Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta.
Convicted at state trial: Joseph Morrison (conviction vacated in June 2026, appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court pending), Pete Musico (minimum 12 years), and Paul Bellar (7 years).
Pleaded guilty in state court: Shawn Fix (36 to 240 months) and Brian Higgins (36 months of probation).
Acquitted in state court: Eric Molitor, William Null, and Michael Null.

Nine of the fourteen original defendants were convicted or pleaded guilty; five were acquitted. Even after the final acquittals in September 2023, Nessel said the prosecutions “undoubtedly saved lives.”³¹

1
U.S. Department of Justice. Six Arrested on Federal Charge of Conspiracy to Kidnap the Governor of Michigan
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U.S. Department of Justice. First Two Convicted at Trial in Michigan Governor Kidnapping Plot Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison
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NPR. Militia Members Plotted to Abduct Michigan Gov. Whitmer, FBI Says
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West Point Combating Terrorism Center. The Conspiracy to Kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer
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Michigan Public. FBI Informant Made Suggestions to Alleged Whitmer Kidnap Plotters, According to Testimony
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Courthouse News Service. Two Weeks In, Wolverine Watchmen Trial Finally Touches Kidnapping Plot
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U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. United States v. Fox and Croft, Nos. 23-1014/1029
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Detroit News. FBI Agent in Whitmer Kidnap Case Arrested Following Domestic Incident
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WWMT. Former FBI Agent in Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Pleads No Contest in Wife’s Assault
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U.S. Department of Justice. Ty Garbin Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping Conspiracy
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Detroit Free Press. Whitmer Kidnap Suspect Ty Garbin Sentence Reduced
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Michigan Public. Man Who Pleaded Guilty Apologizes for His Role in Kidnapping Plot, Gets Four-Year Sentence
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WWMT. Verdict in Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Federal Trial
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NBC News. Ringleader of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Sentenced to 19 Years
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BBC. Michigan Governor Kidnap Plot Co-Leader Sentenced
16
Courthouse News Service. Sixth Circuit Upholds Convictions of Men Charged in Plot to Kidnap Michigan Governor
17
Bridge Michigan. Trump Considers Pardon for Whitmer Kidnap Plotters, Calling Case a Railroad Job
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CBS News. Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Sentencing for Morrison, Musico, and Bellar
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MLive. Defendants Sentenced to Prison in Whitmer Kidnap Plot Case
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Michigan Advance. Final Two Sentences Handed Down in Plot to Kidnap and Kill Whitmer
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The Guardian. Three Men Acquitted in Final Trial Related to Whitmer Kidnap Plot
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PBS NewsHour. Three Men Found Not Guilty of Supporting Plot to Kidnap Michigan Gov. Whitmer
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Detroit Free Press. Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Joseph Morrison Conviction Reversed by Court of Appeals
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Michigan Court of Appeals. People v. Joseph Matthew Morrison, No. 364651
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ABC News. Michigan AG Condemns Reversal of Conviction Related to Whitmer Kidnap Plot
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Michigan Advance. Appeal Planned After Court Overturns Conviction of Man Jailed in Whitmer Kidnapping Plot
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Politico. Trump Whitmer Kidnapping Pardon Consideration
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CBS News. Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trump Considering Pardon
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CBS News. U.S. Pardon Lawyer on Kidnap Plot Against Gretchen Whitmer
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Time. Governor Gretchen Whitmer Response to Trump Considers Pardoning Kidnap Plot Men
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CNN. Final Trial in Gretchen Whitmer Michigan Kidnapping Plot