A federal judge has sentenced the second of the co-leaders behind the plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to 20 years in prison.
The sentencing comes after 47-year-old Barry Croft Jr. was found guilty on conspiracy charges in August. It was his second time standing trial for the foiled kidnapping plot after the first ended in a mistrial when jurors were unable to reach verdicts against him and his co-conspirator Adam Fox.
While Whitmer was not harmed in the ordeal, U.S. District judge Robert Jonker said such extreme plans have to be met with consequences.
"We're talking about a conspiracy to physically kidnap the governor, potentially assassinate her as well. It doesn't get much more serious than that," he said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler said Croft was the "spiritual leader" of the plot and still hasn't shown remorse despite being found guilty.
"This man is fully radicalized. He hasn't changed his viewpoint," she noted. "He's not admitting the ideas are wrong because he still holds them. This whole thing was Mr. Croft's idea."
Croft, along with his co-conspirators, had set out to kidnap Whitmer after she implemented strict COVID-19 guidelines following the onset of the pandemic in 2020.
