(WWJ) -- More charges have been filed against men accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer after a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment that adds new charges.
Three defendants are now facing new charges of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and two defendants are facing additional federal firearms violations, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
According to court documents, 40-year-old Adam Fox of Wyoming, Mich.; Barry Croft, Jr., 45, of Bear, Delaware; and 23-year-old Daniel Joseph of Lake Orion, Mich. have been charged with knowingly conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction against persons or property in addition to the kidnapping conspiracy charges last October, according to the DOJ.
The superseding indictment alleges that Fox, Croft and Harris planned to use the devices to destroy a nearby bridge to harm and hinder the governor’s security detail and any responding law enforcement officers.
The superseding indictment alleges that on Sept. 13, 2020 in Lake County, Croft and Harris allegedly knowingly possessed a destructive device that was not registered to them in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by federal law.
Harris is alleged to have possessed, between July 10 and Sept. 13 2020, an Anderson Manufacturing, Model AM-15, .223/5.56 mm caliber semiautomatic rifle with a barrel of less than 16 inches in length that was not registered to him.
An additional defendant in the plot to kidnap Whitmer, Ty Garbin, entered a guilty plea last December to the original indictment charging him with conspiracy to kidnap the governor. Garbin faces up to life in prison for his conviction and awaits sentencing.
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Fox, Croft, Harris, and two other defendants -- Kaleb Franks and Brandon Caserta -- each face up to life if convicted of the kidnapping conspiracy. Fox, Croft and Harris could face up to life in prison if convicted of the weapons of mass destruction charges.
Croft and Harris could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the possession of an unregistered device, and Harris is looking at an additional 10 years if convicted of the possession of an unregistered short barrel rifle.
The new charges stem from an ongoing FBI investigation, assisted by the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, ATF and members of the Join Terrorism Task Force, including the Michigan State Police.
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