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Jury selection was scheduled to begin in a Jackson County
courtroom where Joseph Morrison, 28, his father-in-law Pete
Musico, 44, and Paul Bellar, 23, are charged with firearm
violations, gang membership and providing material support for
terrorism. They could face 20 years in prison if they are
convicted.
The three are among 13 men who were arrested in October 2020 and
charged with state or federal crimes in the alleged kidnapping
conspiracy. Prosecutors say the plot was motivated by opposition
to state coronavirus restrictions imposed by the governor and
grievances related to the 2020 presidential election.
Attorneys for the men were not immediately available for
comment.
Prosecutors said the men were members of the Wolverine Watchmen,
a militia group that planned to break into Whitmer's vacation
home, kidnap her and take her away at gunpoint to stand trial on
treason charges. They hoped that the abduction would lead to a
violent uprising and instigate a civil war, prosecutors said.
Authorities in an affidavit said that Morrison and Musico hosted
tactical training sessions on their property in remote Michigan
while Bellar provided plans for tactical maneuvers, coded
language for covert communication and ammunition.
The trial against Morrison, Musico and Bellar comes five weeks
after a federal jury in Grand Rapids convicted Adam Fox and
Barry Croft Jr. of conspiracy in the plot. Two other defendants
were found not guilty in the first federal trial.
Two weeks ago, a federal judge reduced the sentence of a man who
pleaded guilty to participating in the plot after his testimony
helped convict Fox and Croft. Ty Garbin, 26, was resentenced to
30 months in prison, less than half of the 75 months he was
given in August 2021.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; Editing by Mark
Porter)
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