Key FBI informant in Michigan governor kidnapping case charged with fraud

Stephen Robeson, who was involved in the attempted kidknapping of Michigan’s governor, could face prison if found guilty

In a fresh development to the high-profile Michigan governor kidnapping case, a key FBI informant has been charged with fraud.

Wisconsin native Stephen Robeson was handed the charge last week, accused of defrauding a couple out of an SUV by convincing them to donate to a ‘charity’. He used a fabricated anti-child sex trafficking non-profit as a cover story, the criminal complaint states (via Buzzfeed).

Both he, and his accomplice wife, Kimberley Robeson, face up to three and a half years in prison if convicted. These developments complicate an already fraught domestic terrorism case, involving a foiled plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Mr Robeson has been implicated in the complex case, as court records appear to show that he, at the behest of the FBI, recruited potential targets, organised meetings, and paid expenses in order for people to attend those events.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (via REUTERS)

He has prior felony convictions to his name, but the latest of these appears to be entirely unrelated. One such conviction came in the wake of his involvement in the kidnapping plot, a highly unusual move on the part of the authorities, who in doing so, indicted their own informant.

He stood accused of illegally possessing a firearm (a .50 calibre sniper rifle) which he acquired just two weeks before the Michigan plot.

By contrast, the latest accusation against Mr Robeson comes in state court rather than federal and isn't linked to similar firearm charges.

In this case, the criminal complaint alleges that he convinced a couple to purchase a 2003 Chevy Tahoe, only to then donate it under false pretences to an organisation he purported to run called ‘Race to Unite Races’ — an organisation that “helps combat child sex trafficking in Sauk County.”

According to the complaint, the SUV was signed over to Race to Unite Races on Sept. 3, 2020, which was just nine days before Mr Robeson participated in overnight surveillance of Whitmer’s lakeside vacation home.

Records show that Mr Robeson has not entered a plea in Sauk County court. His attorney, Joseph Bugni, who negotiated his plea deal in federal court, declined to comment to Buzzfeed.

A spokesperson for the US attorney’s office in Grand Rapids similarly declined to comment, citing a government policy not to comment on ongoing criminal matters.