Jury Convicts Three Men of All Counts in Plot to Kidnap Michigan Gov. Whitmer
Three men were convicted on Oct. 26 of crimes in connection to a plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor.
Jurors convicted Paul Bellar, Joseph Morrison, and Morrison’s father-in-law Pete Musico of providing material support for terrorist acts, membership in a gang, and carrying or possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony.
The trio, all members of the Wolverine Watchmen group, face up to 40 years in prison. They’ll be sentenced in December.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, said that the verdicts “are further proof that violence and threats have no place in our politics.”
“These defendants believed violence was an appropriate way to address an ideological grievance. Today’s verdict sends a clear message they were wrong. Violence is never the answer, and the FBI remains committed to investigating and holding accountable anyone who seeks to further an ideological cause through violence,” special agent Mara Schneider, a spokesperson for the FBI’s Detroit Field Office, added….