LANSING, Mich. (WWJ) – A judge has denied a request to dismiss the “Wolverine Watchmen” case, ruling that three men charged in a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer before the 2020 election were not entrapped by the FBI.
Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Wilson denied an entrapment motion filed by Jackson County defendants Paul Bellar, Joseph Morrison and Pete Musico.
Bellar, Morrison and Musico have been accused of aiding six others who were charged in federal court with conspiring to kidnap Whitmer. Five more people are also charged in state courts.
The men are known members of the Wolverine Watchmen who are facing charges for allegedly participating in a plot to target law enforcement and politicians, according to officials. They were ordered to stand trial in March.
Wilson says the case will move forward to a tentatively scheduled pre-trial exam in August, before the trial is scheduled to begin in September.
The three men are charged with providing materials to support terrorist acts, attempting to commit a felony as an associate or member of gang, and gun charges in the plot.
Attorney General Dana Nessel says “as expected, the defense has worked to skew the facts of this case to undermine the integrity of the charges.”
“This ruling makes clear these defendants were not pressured by law enforcement into committing these crimes,” Nessel said, per a press release. “These were very serious threats to our elected officials and the public, and the perpetrators of these crimes must be held accountable.”
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