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Eight other men accused of taking part in the kidnapping plot have been charged in Michigan state court with domestic terrorism and are also characterized by prosecutors as members or associates of the Wolverine Watchmen.
Prosecutors have said all 14 suspects targeted Whitmer in retribution for public health orders she imposed placing restrictions on a wide range of social and business activity to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Sentencing for Garbin, who remains in custody, was set for July 8, and he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, Birge said. His co-defendants in the federal case face trial slated to begin on March 23.
While the plea deal did not obligate the government to recommend a reduced sentence for Garbin, prosecutors said they would decide their recommendation based on his level of cooperation.
The federal indictment accused Garbin and his five co-defendants of discussing plans to kidnap Whitmer; meeting in July in Wisconsin to practice using assault rifles; placing Whitmer vacation home under surveillance in August and September and mapping out how far it was from the nearest police station.
Garbin’s plea agreement also contained the allegation that Fox, one of the accused ringleaders, had said at a meeting in June that “he wanted to recruit 200 people to storm the (Michigan) Capitol, try any politicians they caught for ‘treason’ and execute them by hanging on live television.”
Garbin himself, according to the court filing, had later advocated “waiting until after the national election, when the conspirators expected widespread civil unrest to make it easier for them to operate.”
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