Wednesday, three men accused of aiding terrorism in a plot to kidnap the governor of Michigan were found guilty of all charges in a trial that centered on paramilitary training and intense disdain for government ahead of the 2020 election.
As members of the Wolverine Watchmen, Joe Morrison, his father-in-law Pete Musico, and Paul Bellar were found guilty of providing “material support” for a terrorist act.
Judge Thomas Wilson ordered all three defendants to be incarcerated pending their December 15 sentence.
Adam Fox, the head of the abduction plot, was upset with Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer and other authorities and stated that he planned to kidnap her. He led pistol training in rural Jackson County.
The trial in state court was an offshoot of the primary case in federal court, which yielded mixed results: Fox and an ally were found guilty of conspiracy, two other individuals pleaded guilty, and two others were found not guilty.
The jurors in Jackson, Michigan, read and heard violent antigovernment rhetoric and encouragement for the ‘boogaloo,’ a civil war that could be started by a startling abduction.
Prosecutors asserted that Whitmer’s COVID-19 restrictions resulted in the recruitment of additional individuals to the Watchmen.
Assistant Attorney General Bill Rollstin told the jury, “The facts trickle out slowly, and you begin to realize – wow – there were events that individuals knew about.”
When you consider how close Adam Fox was to the governor, it becomes clear how a disastrous catastrophe was prevented.
Morrison, 28, Musico, 44, and Bellar, 24, were also found guilty of a firearm offense and gang membership. The prosecution stated that the Wolverine Watchmen was a criminal organization.
Morrison, who just tested positive for COVID-19, and Musico were overcome with emotion as they viewed the results via video from outside the courthouse.
Whitmer, who did not serve as a trial witness or spectator in the state or federal prosecutions, stated that the verdicts “further demonstrate that violence and threats have no place in our politics.”
Whitmer stated, “Those who seek to stir dissension by pursuing violent schemes will be held accountable under the law.”
Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat in a close reelection contest, lauded law enforcement and hailed the conclusion. After hearing testimony for nine days, the jury debated Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday for less than two hours.
“Jackson County jurors are not known for their liberalism, I would say.” They are often a conservative group,’ Nessel stated.
‘However, I believe what they saw was that this is not a political issue…. These are citizens who have no affiliation with any political party. In reality, they were anti-government in general.’
Attorneys for the defense maintained that Morrison, Musico, and Bellar severed contacts with Fox before the Whitmer plot became apparent in late summer of 2020; Bellar had departed the state.
In addition, they did not travel with Fox to scout the governor’s vacation home or participate near a crucial weekend training session inside an improvised “shot house” in Luther, Michigan.
“In this country, you are permitted to speak the talk, but only if you walk the walk will you be punished,” Musico’s attorney Kareem Johnson stated in his closing arguments.
They were unable to refute entrapment. However, defense attorneys attacked the tactics and motivations of 36-year-old undercover informant Dan Chappel. He followed FBI agents’ directions, secretly recorded talks, and compiled a large cache of texts exchanged with the men.
Chappel, an Army veteran, stated that he joined the Watchmen to sharpen his shooting skills. However, when the conversation shifted to injuring police, he went to the FBI and promised to collect evidence for an investigation that finally identified Whitmer as a target.
Chappel told the jury that it was ‘definitely’ dangerous.
He stated, “If I were ever compromised, it would not be a pleasant day.”
The November 8 reelection candidate Whitmer was never physically harmed. Fox’s organization contained informants and undercover agents for months. With fourteen arrests in October 2020, the operation was thwarted.
In August, Fox and Barry Croft Jr. were found guilty of kidnapping conspiracy in federal court. Last April, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta were found not guilty. Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks both entered guilty pleas.
Five of the 14 men are facing charges in state court in Whitmer’s second home county of Antrim. A judge there must still evaluate whether sufficient evidence exists to put the defendants to trial.
Whitmer slammed then-President Donald Trump in 2020 for fostering mistrust and fomenting discontent over coronavirus limitations and for refusing to condemn hate organizations and extremists like those convicted in Michigan. During a series of tumultuous protests that year, the state Capitol was crowded with demonstrators, many of whom displayed firearms, and traffic was halted.
Whitmer extended her attack to her election opponent, Tudor Dixon, telling The Associated Press that the Republican candidate is “part of the problem” hours after the Jackson trial.
She has trivialized a scheme to kidnap and murder me. She has dismissed previous threats against me and my family,’ said Whitmer on Wednesday.
The governor was alluding to Dixon’s September comments to supporters, in which she said that Whitmer was “excellent at taking businesses hostage and holding them for ransom.”
Dixon’s response to the verdicts was more subdued: “I’m delighted justice has been served,” she remarked.