U.S.

Second guilty plea planned in alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer

February 7, 2022 / 12:19 PM EST / AP

A man charged in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has agreed to plead guilty, according to documents filed Monday, giving prosecutors a second insider who could be a key witness at a March trial.

Kaleb Franks said he willfully conspired with five other men to kidnap the Democratic governor before FBI agents stepped in and arrested the group in October 2020. The government said they wanted to kidnap Whitmer because of their disgust over her COVID-19 restrictions.

This photo combo shows from top left, Kaleb Franks, Brandon Caserta, Adam Dean Fox, and bottom left, Daniel Harris, Barry Croft, and Ty Garbin, who were all charged with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in what investigators say was a plot by anti-government extremists angry over her policies to prevent spread of the coronavirus. Kent County Sheriff via AP File

Franks said he "was not entrapped or induced to commit any crimes" by undercover agents or informants. He signed a document agreeing to plead guilty as charged.

Ty Garbin pleaded guilty in 2021 and was sentenced to slightly more than six years in prison.

Franks acknowledged that he was deeply involved in the scheme, which included outdoor training with firearms in Wisconsin and Michigan and scouting Whitmer's second home in northern Michigan.

In August 2020, less than two months before their arrest, Franks said he and a co-defendant "discussed their frustration with people who advocated anti-government action but were unwilling to use force themselves."

The plea deal suggests Franks, like Garbin, could offer crucial testimony against the four remaining defendants at the March 8 trial in Grand Rapids. While there is no agreement on the length of his prison sentence, Franks could be rewarded if he "materially and substantially assists" the government.

2 former Marines among those charged in plot to kidnap Michigan's governor

A message seeking comment from Franks' attorney wasn't immediately returned.

When the kidnapping case was filed in 2020, it added even more heat to the final weeks of a tumultuous election season.

Whitmer pinned some blame on then-President Donald Trump, saying his refusal to denounce far-right groups had inspired extremists across the country. Trump had earlier urged supporters to "LIBERATE" Michigan and two other states led by Democratic governors from stay-at-home mandates.