Michigan governor kidnap plot ringleaders sentence
Post# of 121419
Proud Boy trial: The week in extremism
Story by Will Carless, USA TODAY • 1h ago
Two ringleaders of a plot to kidnap Michigan's governor were sentenced to long prison sentences this week. A historic trial of Proud Boys related to the Jan. 6 insurrection is underway, and a Department of Homeland Security memo warns of domestic extremism related to the end of Title 42.
It's the week in extremism.
Ringleader sentenced: In Michigan, Whitmer kidnap plot leader Adam Fox spared life sentence, gets 16 years
Kidnap plot: 3 men sentenced seven to 12 years in kidnap plot against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
Whitmer kidnap plot leaders sentenced
Two ringleaders of a 2020 conspiracy to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer were sentenced to 16 years and more than 19 years of imprisonment respectively this week, bringing to a close a long and convoluted prosecution that at times looked shaky for the federal government.
The plot involved plans to kidnap Whitmer from her vacation home and blow up a bridge to help the kidnappers escape authorities. The conspiracy was heavily infiltrated by undercover FBI agents from the start, who witnessed the suspects casing Whitmer's home and talking about civil war.
Adam Fox, a 39-year-old unemployed vacuum repairman, was sentenced to 16 years on Monday, escaping the life sentence federal prosecutors had asked for.
Barry Croft, Jr. a truck driver from Delaware who also faced a life sentence, was sentenced to more than 19 years on Wednesday. The judge issuing the sentence said: "I do think of Mr. Croft as more culpable — he gave Mr. Fox something to hang on to, a higher purpose."
The men planning to kidnap Whitmer appear to have been driven by the concept of "accelerationism" — seeking to foment civil war and ensuing dystopia to bring about a new global order. They were deeply steeped in conspiracy theories, including disinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Context: The case is probably the country's highest-profile domestic extremism prosecution not related directly to the Jan. 6 insurrection. Two other men accused of participating in the plot were acquitted in a previous trial in April.
Trial begins: Jury selection begins in trial for Proud Boys leaders charged with seditious conspiracy
tic tic tic.........
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