Three men convicted in attempted kidnapping of Michigan governor

Three men were sentenced to prison for aiding and abetting the attempted kidnapping of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2020. Although the FBI thwarted the attack before it was carried out, the prosecution found links between the defendants and the paramilitary group The Wolverine Watchmen, which is believed to have orchestrated the attempt.

Those sentenced were Joe Morrison, Pete Musico and Paul Bellar, who were charged with providing "material support for terrorism.” Defense attorneys argued that the men had cut ties with The Wolverine Watchmen before the attempted bombing was foiled.

Morrison was sentenced to 10 years in prison, his son-in-law Musico to 12 years and Bellar to seven years. The sentencing hearing took place in Jackson County, Mich. At that exact location in 2020, the defendants came with firearms in protest against the governor’s measures to contain the pandemic.

Last August, a federal jury found Adam Fox and Barry Croft, the alleged leaders of the paramilitary group, guilty of masterminding the foiled plot to kidnap Whitmer.