Spring forward.
To delete this message, click the X at top right.

U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

Post Reply
User avatar
Tiredretiredlawyer
Posts: 7541
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:07 pm
Location: Rescue Pets Land
Occupation: 21st Century Suffragist
Verified: ✅🐴🐎🦄🌻5000 posts and counting

U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#1

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

https://detroit.cbslocal.com/2022/03/07 ... lot-trial/
A Look Into Charges At Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial

Jury selection begins Tuesday in a trial that could last more than a month in federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Six men were initially charged but two pleaded guilty before trial.

The remaining defendants include Adam Fox, described by prosecutors as the plot’s ringleader. He and co-defendant Barry Croft Jr. were affiliated with the “Three Percenter” far-right anti-government movement. Prosecutors say the other two defendants, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta, were members of the Wolverine Watchmen, a self-styled militia with similar views.

Ty Garbin pleaded guilty last year and Kaleb Franks joined him in February. Both are expected to be star government witnesses.

All four are charged with kidnapping conspiracy.

Charging documents say the defendants plotted from June to October 2020 to grab Whitmer at her vacation home because they were infuriated by what they saw as her overly restrictive policies during the pandemic.

Fox, Croft and Harris are also charged with conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. The indictment says they sought to construct and buy explosives, including to destroy a bridge near Whitmer’s cottage during the kidnapping.

Croft and Harris are also accused of possession of an unregistered destructive device, a firearm.

Harris is charged with possession of a semiautomatic assault rifle with a barrel less than 16 inches long that wasn’t registered to him.

If convicted, all four could face the prospect of spending the rest of their lives behind bars.

The kidnapping conspiracy and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction charges each carry a maximum life sentence.
► Show Spoiler
"Mickey Mouse and I grew up together." - Ruthie Tompson, Disney animation checker and scene planner and one of the first women to become a member of the International Photographers Union in 1952.
User avatar
Kendra
Posts: 10497
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:17 am

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#2

Post by Kendra »

Thanks for starting this thread. If anyone finds a reporter following the trial, please post link here.
User avatar
Foggy
Dick Tater
Posts: 9554
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 8:45 am
Location: Fogbow HQ
Occupation: Dick Tater/Space Cadet
Verified: as seen on qvc zombie apocalypse

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#3

Post by Foggy »

Yeah, thanks for starting the thread. I thought about moving it to another forum ... it could go in the COVID forum since that was the motivation. It could go in Other Efforts to Attack Democracy, or even in Worst of the Right-Wing Pieholes. But Law & Lawsuits is good. I'ma leave it right where it is. Kinda brings together a number of themes we follow, though -- right-wing pieholes who actually decided to kidnap a US governor because they didn't like her mask and vax mandates. Too bad they didn't get Roger Stone on board and Klayman for defense counsel, then we'd have the whole enchilada, all in one thread.

:oldman:
Out from under. :thumbsup:
User avatar
Kendra
Posts: 10497
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:17 am

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#4

Post by Kendra »

Just a quick flash on CNN, jury has verdicts on some and deadlocked on other charges. Asking judge for guidance :smoking:
User avatar
raison de arizona
Posts: 17654
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:21 am
Location: Nothing, Arizona
Occupation: bit twiddler
Verified: ✔️ he/him/his

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#5

Post by raison de arizona »

“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
User avatar
Kendra
Posts: 10497
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:17 am

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#6

Post by Kendra »

N/M. Ninja'd.
User avatar
raison de arizona
Posts: 17654
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:21 am
Location: Nothing, Arizona
Occupation: bit twiddler
Verified: ✔️ he/him/his

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#7

Post by raison de arizona »

David Frum @davidfrum wrote: Big win for the cause of decriminalizing the kidnapping of US state governors by armed militias
https://twitter.com/davidfrum/status/15 ... 8943638536
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
User avatar
neeneko
Posts: 1431
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2021 9:32 am

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#8

Post by neeneko »

raison de arizona wrote: Fri Apr 08, 2022 6:19 pm
David Frum @davidfrum wrote: Big win for the cause of decriminalizing the kidnapping of US state governors by armed militias
https://twitter.com/davidfrum/status/15 ... 8943638536
why do i suspect that if it was a bunch of muslim men plotting to kidnap a republican governor the jury would not have sympathized with the 'evil FBI agents only interested in their own careers so they framed these innocent white men!' argument.
User avatar
pipistrelle
Posts: 6693
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 11:27 am

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#9

Post by pipistrelle »

I suspect these fine upstanding citizens will be in trouble again soon, if not soon enough.
Dave from down under
Posts: 3909
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2021 4:50 pm
Location: Down here!

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#10

Post by Dave from down under »

Odds are they will hurt if not kill someone very soon..

Hopefully it will only be each other.
User avatar
bob
Posts: 5386
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2021 12:07 am

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#11

Post by bob »

CBS:
Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta were both found not guilty. The charges against Adam Fox and Barry Croft, Jr. were declared "no verdict" and Judge James Jonker declared a mistrial on those counts.

All four were charged with conspiracy, accused by prosecutors of being angry over COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Democratic governor and seeking to ignite a civil war. Three of the men also faced weapons charges.

* * *

Only one defendant, Harris, chose to testify in his own defense, and the four men deny any scheme to get Whitmer at her vacation home. Defense attorneys insist they were under the spell of informants and agents who got them to say and do violent, provocative things.

Fox's attorney, Christopher Gibbons, said Fox was a hapless man living in the basement of a Grand Rapids-area vacuum shop, smoking marijuana whenever possible and totally incapable of leading the wild plot.

"The plan was utter nonsense. It wasn't real to Adam Fox. He was LARPing," Gibbons said, using an acronym for live action role playing. "Adam Fox is usually impaired. He's just playing his game. ... A person cannot accidentally enter into a conspiracy."

* * *

Lawyers for Harris and Caserta emphasized that neither man went to Elk Rapids with Croft and Fox to surveil Whitmer's home.

* * *

With the jury deadlocked on charges against Adam Fox and Barry Croft, Jr., the judge declared a mistrial on those counts.

Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta were acquitted on all counts:

On Count 1: Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping: Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta were both found NOT GUILTY.

On Count 2: Weapon of Mass Destruction: Daniel Harris was found NOT GUILTY

On Count 3: Possession of an Unregistered Destructive Device: Daniel Harris was found NOT GUILTY

On Count 4: Possession of a Short Barrel Rifle: Daniel Harris was found NOT GUILTY
I haven't been following this case, but interesting that the jury essentially bought (for the Harris and Caserta) that they never entered into a conspiracy, and, it would appear, did not take any steps towards it (like surveilling the vacation home).

I am curious about the short-barrel rifle charge: either the rifle's barrel is too short or it isn't; either the defendant possessed it or didn't (unless there's some Rittenhouse-esque claim about hunting-season laws).
Image ImageImage
User avatar
scirreeve
Posts: 1343
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 12:56 pm

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#12

Post by scirreeve »

Chatted with Bridge Sniper tonight about one of the defendants. IDK why I do that.
andersweinstein
Posts: 521
Joined: Sat Feb 27, 2021 7:10 pm

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#13

Post by andersweinstein »

bob wrote: Fri Apr 08, 2022 7:45 pm
...On Count 4: Possession of a Short Barrel Rifle: Daniel Harris was found NOT GUILTY
I am curious about the short-barrel rifle charge: either the rifle's barrel is too short or it isn't; either the defendant possessed it or didn't (unless there's some Rittenhouse-esque claim about hunting-season laws).
Here's one bit I found on that, from a Twitter thread reporting closing arguments:

User avatar
Phoenix520
Posts: 4149
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 1:20 pm
Verified:

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#14

Post by Phoenix520 »

Disassembled it is not a rifle but assembled it is, legally? Or only in poor minds?
User avatar
bob
Posts: 5386
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2021 12:07 am

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#15

Post by bob »

Phoenix520 wrote: Sun Apr 10, 2022 10:05 pm Disassembled it is not a rifle but assembled it is, legally? Or only in poor minds?
Short answer: Yes.

A short-barreled rifle isn't illegal per se; there are methods to legally possess one. (It would be more accurate to say possession of an unregistered short-barrel rifle is illegal.) So, by extension (HA!), owning the dissembled components might be legal.

But the argument that the short-barreled weapon wasn't assembled in the district is ... curious. I'm aware of the arguments about a crime committed outside of the court's jurisdiction, but I'm not sure whether they might apply in this situation. Regardless, what the defense argued and why the jury voted as it did aren't necessarily the same.
Image ImageImage
User avatar
RTH10260
Posts: 14353
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:16 am
Location: Switzerland, near the Alps
Verified: ✔️ Eurobot

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#16

Post by RTH10260 »

2 Whitmer kidnap suspects back in court with a request: Let us go

Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press
Thu, June 30, 2022 at 2:03 PM·

The remaining two suspects in the alleged Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kidnap plot return to court Thursday, hoping to convince a judge to do something a jury could not: acquit them.

Adam Fox, 38, of Potterville, and Barry Croft, 46, of Delaware, are facing a retrial after a jury deadlocked in April following a 20-day trial that ended in no convictions. The jury acquitted 24-year-old Daniel Harris, of Lake Orion, and 34-year-old Brandon Caserta, of Canton Township, on all counts. Jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict for Croft and Fox.

The prosecution has vowed to retry the men, who are accused of plotting to kidnap Whitmer out of anger over her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But lawyers for Croft and Fox have asked a judge to acquit their clients, arguing there is not sufficient evidence to convict them of kidnapping conspiracy or agreeing to use a weapon of mass destruction. Prosecutors allege the men plotted to blow up a bridge near Whitmer's vacation house to slow down law enforcement, and practiced blowing up explosives during training exercises.




https://www.yahoo.com/news/2-whitmer-ki ... 39425.html
User avatar
MN-Skeptic
Posts: 3000
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 1:03 pm
Location: Twin Cities

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#17

Post by MN-Skeptic »

User avatar
Kendra
Posts: 10497
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:17 am

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#18

Post by Kendra »

But...I keep hearing all the Fox types and Ron DeSantis and his elk claiming this was a big scam the FBI and whoever else cooked up.
User avatar
Ben-Prime
Posts: 2599
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 11:29 pm
Location: Worldwide Availability
Occupation: Managing People Who Manage Machines
Verified: ✅MamaSaysI'mBonaFide

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#19

Post by Ben-Prime »

Kendra wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 12:09 pm But...I keep hearing all the Fox types and Ron DeSantis and his elk claiming this was a big scam the FBI and whoever else cooked up.
Shirley you can't be serious. When has the Right ever not supported the FB----<Whisperwhisperwhisper>---oh, I see.
But the sunshine aye shall light the sky,
As round and round we run;
And the truth shall ever come uppermost,
And justice shall be done.

- Charles Mackay, "Eternal Justice"
User avatar
Frater I*I
Posts: 3210
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:52 am
Location: City of Dis, Seventh Circle of Hell
Occupation: Certificated A&P Mechanic
Verified: ✅Verified Devilish Hyena
Contact:

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#20

Post by Frater I*I »

Ben-Prime wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 3:02 pm
Kendra wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 12:09 pm But...I keep hearing all the Fox types and Ron DeSantis and his elk claiming this was a big scam the FBI and whoever else cooked up.
Shirley you can't be serious. When has the Right ever not supported the FB----<Whisperwhisperwhisper>---oh, I see.
I am serious...and don't call Kendra, Shirley... :fingerwag:



I'll come in again... :bag:
"He sewed his eyes shut because he is afraid to see, He tries to tell me what I put inside of me
He's got the answers to ease my curiosity, He dreamed a god up and called it Christianity"

Trent Reznor
User avatar
SuzieC
Posts: 925
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:25 am
Location: Blue oasis in red state
Occupation: retired lawyer; yoga enthusiast
Verified:

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#21

Post by SuzieC »

Guy on the right above looks like this orc:

https://uacrisis.org/en/orcs-and-men
User avatar
Tiredretiredlawyer
Posts: 7541
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:07 pm
Location: Rescue Pets Land
Occupation: 21st Century Suffragist
Verified: ✅🐴🐎🦄🌻5000 posts and counting

Re: U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#22

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/co ... smsnnews11
Convicted Whitmer kidnap plotter who cooperated wants out of prison. Now.

Convicted kidnap plotter Ty Garbin wants out of prison now, arguing he has paid his dues for conspiring to harm Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and deserves his freedom for helping the government salvage one of the biggest domestic terrorism cases in U.S. history.

Moreover, his lawyer argued, Garbin faces "grave danger" if he stays locked up.

"The target that Mr. Garbin presents for extremists, prison gangs or someone out to make a name for themselves cannot be ignored. The danger is real and will pervade everything Mr. Garbin does and everywhere he goes," defense attorney Mark Satawa argued in a Friday court filing. "For all that Mr. Garbin has done to assist the Government in this case, and in the future, the state prosecution − he deserves to be allowed to reside in the safety of his own home."

Satawa's filing is a response to the government's latest request that Garbin, 26, an airline mechanic from Hartland, get another three years trimmed off his sentence for his cooperation in the case. Prosecutors made this request last month, one day after Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. were convicted in a retrial on kidnapping conspiracy and weapons of mass destruction charges by a federal jury in Grand Rapids.
► Show Spoiler
"Mickey Mouse and I grew up together." - Ruthie Tompson, Disney animation checker and scene planner and one of the first women to become a member of the International Photographers Union in 1952.
User avatar
Volkonski
Posts: 11591
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 11:06 am
Location: Texoma and North Fork of Long Island
Occupation: Retired mechanical engineer
Verified:

U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#23

Post by Volkonski »

“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
User avatar
scirreeve
Posts: 1343
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 12:56 pm

U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#24

Post by scirreeve »

Croft got 19 years. I paid attention to Croft back in the days before the Whitmer thingy. He was buddies with Massey - the poot that shot himself a few years ago. Croft was batshit crazy (based on my memories from his Massey FB posts and totally not clinical).
https://www.npr.org/2022/12/28/11458125 ... ence-croft
User avatar
scirreeve
Posts: 1343
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 12:56 pm

U.S. v. Fox (Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Trial)

#25

Post by scirreeve »

Croft was too crazy for Moo's sister wife and a poot named Jill Robinson. They both used to admin Massey's FB page. Here is a pic of Massey before he killed himself. He was a stupid fucking poot and buddies with tricorn hat wearing poot Croft.
Capture.JPG
Capture.JPG (39.98 KiB) Viewed 515 times
Post Reply

Return to “Law and Lawsuits”