Leader in US governor kidnapping plot sentenced to 16 years

DETROIT, Michigan

One of the men in the plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was sentenced to 16 years by a US federal judge on Tuesday.

Adam Fox, 39, was handed the ruling by Judge Robert Jonker for his role in the attempted 2020 kidnapping of Whitmer from her summer residence, according to reporting by CNN.

The scheme was cooked up by Fox and four others in response to Whitmer’s policies during at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in her state. Far-right groups objected to the governor’s strict shuttering of businesses and instituted lockdowns.

The sentence follows on the court’s earlier decision in August wherein Fox was convicted of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and to use a weapon of mass destruction against the governor.

A mistrial was declared in April when jurors failed to land on a verdict against Fox and his co-conspirator Barry Croft. The decision was then delayed until August.

Croft is set for sentencing on Wednesday.

Jonker showed leniency in his verdict of 192 months rather than a life sentence as was asked for by the prosecution, the maximum sentence for crimes of this sort according to the Federal guidelines.

“There is need for public understanding of the cost of this kind of wrongdoing and certainly of specific deterrence as well. And there is impact on our overall governmental system, not just physical threat to our sitting governor. It’s the emotional baggage that now our governor will have to carry,” the judge said in a statement from the Grand Rapids, Michigan court, indicating that the decision was sufficient as a deterrent in crimes against government officials.

Fox said little in response to Jonker’s decision. “I’m satisfied with what my lawyer said,” Fox told the judge.

In a sentencing memo to the court, Fox’s defense attorney Christopher Gibbons requested roughly four to six years in prison for his client. It was aligned, he said, with sentences issued for co-defendants who had pleaded guilty ahead of trial and were given lower sentences for their cooperation against Fox and others.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel responded positively to Judge Jonker’s decision.

“Adam Fox’s actions undermined the security of every Michigan resident. I remain deeply grateful to Judge Jonker, the US Department of Justice, the FBI, the Michigan State Police and every person who worked together to ensure justice was served,” Nessel said in a statement on Tuesday.