Share this @internewscast.com
(L-R) Barry Croft, Daniel Harris, Adam Fox, Brandon Caserta, suspected of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D)

Barry Croft, Daniel Harris, Adam Fox, and Brandon Caserta were charged with plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.). (Images via the Kent County Sheriff.)

The federal prosecution of four men accused of hatching a violent scheme to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) has ended in two acquittals and two hung juries.

Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta were found not guilty on Friday of kidnapping conspiracy charges. Harris was also acquitted of charges relating to a gun and explosives.

The jury was deadlocked as to Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr., who both faced conspiracy and explosives charges. Hours before announcing the verdict, the jury had told the U.S. District Judge Robert James Jonker that they were struggling to reach a unanimous conclusion on the charges against the two men. Jonker instructed the jury to continue deliberating, but apparently that extra time didn’t make a difference.

Six men were arrested in October 2020 in connection with an alleged plot to kidnap Whitmer in furtherance of a plan to violently overthrow the government, according to prosecutors. They were indicted by a federal grand jury that December.

According to the government, the charges came after what was described as a high-stakes undercover operation that used confidential sources and clandestine recordings to gather information about a group that was allegedly planning to kidnap Whitmer.

“This group used operational security measures, including communicating by encrypted messaging platforms and used code words and phrases in an attempt to avoid detection by law enforcement,” the Justice Department said while announcing the arrests.

Members of the group allegedly conducted surveillance on Whitmer’s vacation home, discussed using explosive devices to divert police from the area of the home, and inspected a potential location to place the explosive. At trial, defense lawyers mounted an entrapment defense by arguing that federal law enforcement had cajoled or tricked their clients into planning the would-be kidnapping.

Attorneys for the defendants accused prosecutors of “egregious overreaching,” arguing in a motion to dismiss that the FBI’s goal was to turn “general discontent with Governor Whitmer’s COVID-19 restrictions into a crime that could be prosecuted.”

Two additional defendants, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, previously pleaded guilty.

Whitmer’s office issued a statement Friday expressing disappointment in the result.

“Today, Michiganders and Americans—especially our children—are living through the normalization of political violence,” the statement said. “The plot to kidnap and kill a governor may seem like an anomaly. But we must be honest about what it really is: the result of violent, divisive rhetoric that is all too common across our country. There must be accountability and consequences for those who commit heinous crimes. Without accountability, extremists will be emboldened.”

U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge, of the Western District of Michigan, said that Fox and Croft will face trial again.

“Although we are disappointed the jury did not reach decisions in our favor, we continue to respect the jury trial system whatever the outcome,” a statement from Birge’s office said. “And we thank the jury for their service. Two defendants now await re-trial and, for that reason, we have no further statement at this time.”

[Images via Kent County Sheriff]

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

Source: This post first appeared on

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Florida Man on Probation Violently Abducts Store Clerk, Captured on Camera

A Florida man was taken into custody and charged with kidnapping, among…

Florida Man Allegedly Plots to Hire Hitman Against Federal Prosecutor, FBI Agent, and Family Members

Last week, a Florida man was found guilty by a federal jury…

Tenant Fatally Attacks Leasing Manager After Receiving Non-Renewal Notice

Image Credit: Background – Alpine Apartments of Weidner Apartment Homes, Anchorage, Alaska…

Florida Man Detained After Baby Hospitalized With Several Broken Bones

A Florida man was taken into custody on Friday after a 3-month-old…

UK Aristocrat and Convicted Rapist Sentenced for Infant’s Death

When they wanted, Constance Marten and Mark Gordon could be warm and caring parents.…

Three SFHS Administrators Face Charges for Not Investigating Allegations of Improper Conduct by Baseball Coach

Staff report ALACHUA, Fla. – Criminal charges have been filed against three…

Allegations Surface of Mother Confined Daughter to Closet

Virginia Gonzales (City of Austin/Austin Police Department). In Texas, a mother is…

Probationer Arrested for Assaulting Disabled Individual

Staff report GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Michael Joseph Buccino, Jr., 41, was arrested…

Court Dismisses Lawsuit Regarding the Release of Personal Information of January 6th FBI Agents

U.S. President Donald Trump addresses his supporters at the Save America Rally…

Woman Sentenced for Concealing Boyfriend’s Body in Basement

Inset: Wendy Stone leaving federal court in Monroe County, New York in…

Court Case Reveals Daughter Cooked Mother’s Remains on Family Farm

A Kentucky woman who allegedly killed, dismembered, and cooked her mother last…

Sibling Duo Involved in Homicide: Brother Commits Murder, Sister Aids Escape, Says Police

Images from left to right: Steven Black (GoFundMe), Warren Pollock (Richmond County…