GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) 鈥� A man charged in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pleaded guilty Wednesday, a second key conviction for the government just a month before four others face trial.
Kaleb Franks joined Ty Garbin as the second person to admit guilt in a plot to abduct the Democratic governor before . The plea gives prosecutors another important witness for the March 8 trial.
The government said the group wanted to kidnap Whitmer because of disgust over her COVID-19 restrictions.
Franks replied, 鈥測es, sir,鈥� to a series of questions from U.S. Magistrate Judge Phillip Green about his role.
He signed a document admitting he 鈥渨as not entrapped or induced to commit any crimes鈥� by undercover agents or informants. Garbin pleaded guilty in 2021 and was .
Franks acknowledged in court documents that he was deeply involved in the plot, which included outdoor training with firearms in Wisconsin and Michigan and scouting Whitmer鈥檚 second home in northern Michigan.
In August 2020, less than two months before their arrest, Franks said he and a co-defendant 鈥渄iscussed their frustration with people who advocated anti-government action but were unwilling to use force themselves.鈥�
While there is no agreement on the length of his prison sentence, Franks could be rewarded if he 鈥渕aterially and substantially assists鈥� the government.
Besides Adam Fox, who is described as a ringleader, the remaining defendants are Barry Croft Jr., Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta.
When the kidnapping case was filed in 2020, it added even more heat to the final weeks of a tumultuous election season.
Whitmer , saying his refusal to denounce far-right groups had inspired extremists across the country. Trump had earlier urged supporters to .
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Anna Liz Nichols is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. White reported from Detroit.
Anna Liz Nichols And Ed White, The Associated Press
