Man who plotted to kidnap Michigan governor sentenced to 16 years in prison

(NEW YORK) — Adam Fox, a militia member who plotted to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Tuesday, according to the Department of Justice.

After Fox’s first trial ended in a hung jury, he was found guilty in August of kidnapping conspiracy and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction.

Fox, 39, faced up to life in prison.

“For his role in the plot to kidnap the Governor and trigger further violence, he will serve a long term in prison,” according to a statement from Andrew Birge, the former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Michigan who was appointed to oversee the trial. “Responding to domestic terrorism has been a priority for the Department of Justice since its founding. Rest assured: we will spare no effort to disrupt plots like these and hold those responsible accountable.”

Fox and another convicted militia member, Barry Croft Jr., “intended to kidnap Governor Whitmer from her vacation cottage near Elk Rapids, Michigan” in 2020 and use “destructive devices to facilitate their plot by harming and hindering the governor’s security detail and any responding law enforcement officers,” according to the Department of Justice.

Prosecutors said the men’s goal was to ignite a civil war.

More than a dozen people were arrested in the kidnapping plot. Fox and Croft were accused of the most serious charges.

Croft is set to be sentenced on Wednesday.

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