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A Michigan man who threatened to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was sentenced to six years in prison and fined $2,500 on Wednesday.
Ty Garbin and more than a dozen others planned to kidnap the state leader from her lakeside summer home last fall because of her COVID-19 restrictions in the state. Garbin is the only one that has plead guilty so far. Five of the men charged pleaded not guilty and are expected to go to trial in October.
The men watched Whitmer’s home day and night. They plotted to hold the politician for trial or to put her in the middle of Lake Michigan in a boat without a motor. The group, who called themselves Wolverine Watchmen, also discussed planting bombs underneath a bridge to slow down police response.
In October, federal agents arrested the men after an FBI source investigating the conspiracy feared that their identity would be revealed.
“I knew the job would be hard. I’ll be honest. I never could have imagined anything like this,” Governor Whitmer said.
Garbin, who cooperated with investigators and gave an insider’s view of the militia group’s plan, was remorseful for his actions.
“First, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Governor Gretchen Whitmer and her family,” Garbin told the Court. “I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on my actions, and I never realized what my actions would have caused to her, but also her family.”
“I can’t even begin to imagine the amount of stress and fear her family members felt because of my actions, and for that, I’m truly sorry,” the twenty-five-year-old man said.
“I never took into consideration the emotional effect that my actions would take on them, as well,” he said while apologizing to his own family and friends. “And for that, I was truly selfish to not take into consideration my family members that meant so much to me.”
United States District Judge Robert Jonker says that he was lenient with his sentencing because Garbin took responsibility for his actions.
“That’s what’s more impressive to me here, and not just the words of Mr. Garbin that’s he’s abandoning this path, but the things he’s done, concrete things he’s done, to demonstrate that he means it.”
