Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Suspects in plot to kidnap Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer seek dismissal

The men are accused of hatching a kidnap plot because they were angry about pandemic restrictions

Eric Garcia
Monday 27 December 2021 22:28 GMT
Comments
Michigan Governor Kidnapping Plot
Michigan Governor Kidnapping Plot
Leer en Español

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

The defense attorneys for five men accused of trying to kidnap Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer called for their indictment to be dismissed because of “egregious overreaching” by federal agents, the Associated Press reports.

The attorneys filed a 20-page motion on Saturday night and allege that FBI agents and federal prosecutors invented a conspiracy and entrapped people and asked US District Judge Robert Kolker to dismiss the conspiracy charge.

The motion came after one of the agents, Richard Trask, was convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor and was dismissed.

“Essentially, the evidence here demonstrates egregious overreaching by the government’s agents, and by the informants those agents handled,” he said. “When the government was faced with evidence showing that the defendants had no interest in a kidnapping plot, it refused to accept failure and continued to push its plan.”

The five men were charged with attempting to kidnap Ms Whitmer and will likely face a trial on 8 March. But all have pleaded not guilty and claimed entrapment, the AP reported. A sixth man, Ty Garbin, pleaded guilty and is serving a six-year sentence.

Prosecutors say the suspects conspired to kidnap Ms Whitmer because of public health measures she introduced to mitigate the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. As part of their preparation they allegedly scouted her second home in northern Michigan.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in