A federal jury ended a third day of deliberations on Wednesday in the trial of four men charged with a plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor, a case that highlights the political rift surrounding the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During a trial that has lasted nearly a month, defence attorneys argued that FBI informants coerced their clients into discussing the plot. The men never made concrete plans on their own and were victims of entrapment and overreach by the prosecution, their attorneys argued. All four of the defendants have been charged with kidnapping conspiracy. Fox, Croft and Harris were also charged with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction. If convicted the men could spend the rest of their lives in prison.
The FBI said it had begun tracking the group’s movements after seeing online discussions that included posts about the violent overthrow of some state governments. The group’s goal was to end curbs on social and business activities imposed during the coronavirus pandemic.