GRAND RAPIDS (WWJ) -- A jury in Grand Rapids has convicted two men of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020.
Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. were each found guilty of conspiring to obtain a weapon of mass destruction, and face up to life in prison when they are sentenced at a later date.
Jurors were sent home for the day late Monday afternoon and resumed deliberations on Tuesday morning. They reached the verdict just before noon after eight hours of deliberations.
Fox, 39, and Croft, 33, were being charged with conspiring to abduct Whitmer from her vacation home in Elk Rapids, Michigan, in an attempt to incite chaos and political uprising across the United States.
Prosectors say the alleged plot also included plans to obtain a bomb in order to blow up a nearby bridge and prevent police from reaching Whitmer's home if the kidnapping was successful.
Meanwhile, defense lawyers said the two men were simply “big talkers” who sometimes said outrageous things when they had been smoking marijuana, and were exercising their right to free speech when they became victims of entrapment by an FBI sting operation.
The men and their allies are said to have been upset over COVID-19 restrictions put in place by Gov. Whitmer during the pandemic.
This marked the second trial for Fox and Croft after a trial that concluded in April resulted in a hung jury.
Two other men, Daniel Harris, 24, and Brandon Caserta, 33, were acquitted of all charges at that time, while an additional two men previously pleaded guilty.
In a statement, Gov. Whitmer thanked federal prosectors and law enforcement for their work on the case.
“Today’s verdicts prove that violence and threats have no place in our politics and those who seek to divide us will be held accountable,” Whitmer wrote. “They will not succeed.”
Listen to WWJ Newsradio 950 for continued coverage on the verdict on the Audacy app or by clicking here.
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