'Militia enthusiast' gets over 4 years in prison for attacking police with baton during Jan. 6 riot
A Michigan man described by prosecutors as a self-professed militia leader has been sentenced to four years and three months in prison for attacking law enforcement with a stolen police baton during the riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Grand Rapids judge denied motion for new trial for 2 members involved in Whitmer kidnapping plot
Found guilty in August of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and trying to obtain a weapon of mass destruction, a federal judge in Grand Rapids has denied the motion for a new trial for Barry Croft and Adam Fox.
Judge orders 3 to trial in plot to kidnap Michigan governor
A Michigan judge on Monday, March 29, 2021 ordered three men to stand trial in a plot to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Jackson County District Court Judge Michael Klaeren ruled there was enough evidence and bound over Paul Bellar, Joe Morrison and Pete Musico to circuit court to stand trial. (Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center via AP)A Michigan judge on Monday ordered three men to stand trial in a plot to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Jackson County District Court Judge Michael Klaeren ruled there was enough evidence and bound over Paul Bellar, Joe Morrison and Pete Musico to circuit court to stand trial. AdThe FBI in October said it broke up a plot to kidnap Whitmer by anti-government extremists upset over her coronavirus restrictions.
Informant in plot against Whitmer indicted on weapons charges
A lot of the evidence in the trial was provided by key FBI informants. READ: How a post office worker became FBIโs inside man into terrorism plot against Gov. WhitmerAdThe FBI has named one of their key informants as Steven Robeson from Wisconsin. Attorneys for the men will argue the men were just talking about the plot and the FBIโs own informants helped train the men, allegedly pushing the plot forward. AdREAD: 19 details inside Whitmer kidnapping defendantโs guilty plea
FBI informant gives detailed account into domestic terrorism plot against Gov. Whitmer
READ: Confidential informant testifies in hearing for 3 men accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Dan said one of the men working with the group wanted to hogtie Whitmer up and put her on display. READ: Who are the Wolverine Watchmen? AdThere were also discussions of installing Wolverine Watchmen members as the new government. One of the men, a supposed leader of the Wolverine Watchmen, claimed he would be targeting Michiganโs Attorney General and Lt.
Confidential informant testifies in hearing for 3 men accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Whitmer
LANSING, Mich. โ A confidential informant for the FBI is testifying in the case against three men charged in the plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. The informant testified that he was there for the planning of both the storming of Michiganโs Capitol and the plot to kidnap and kill Whitmer. READ: How an informant brought down plot against Michigan Gov. He said he was introduced to the Wolverine Watchmen through a suggested page recommendation on Facebook. READ: Who are the Wolverine Watchmen?
Defense for Wolverine Watchmen argue violent rhetoric against Gov. Whitmer was satirical
JACKSON, Mich. โ Defense attorneys for Pete Musico, his son-in-law Joseph Morrison and Paul Bellar -- who are accused of being involved in a domestic terrorism plot to kidnap or kill Gov. READ: Who are the Wolverine Watchmen? Thursday was day two of the hearing for the three members of the Wolverine Watchmen. AdThe defense attorneys used a series of different arguments Thursday. READ: Defense attorneys rebut FBI claims in alleged plot against Gov.
Local 4 News at Noon -- March 4, 2021
DETROIT โ Hereโs what you missed on Local 4 News at Noon. Defense attorneys rebut FBI claims in alleged plot against Gov. WhitmerDefense attorneys for Pete Musico, his son-in-law Joseph Morrison and Paul Bellar -- who are accused of being involved in a domestic terrorism plot to kidnap or kill Gov. Gretchen Whitmer -- claim things only became serious when the FBI informant became involved.
Defense attorneys rebut FBI claims in alleged plot against Gov. Whitmer
JACKSON, Mich. โ Defense attorneys for Pete Musico, his son-in-law Joseph Morrison and Paul Bellar -- who are accused of being involved in a domestic terrorism plot to kidnap or kill Gov. READ: Who are the Wolverine Watchmen? Thursday was day two of the hearing for the three members of the Wolverine Watchmen. The defense also portrayed the violent rhetoric about Whitmer as satirical and that their activities only escalated after an FBI informant got involved. Itโs a similar defense to what was used by attorneys representing members of the Hutaree group in 2012.
How an informant brought down plot against Michigan Gov. Whitmer
โHe just wanted to notify us about the Wolverine Watchmen and tell us that the group was a danger to law enforcement,โ the agent said. This information was revealed at the preliminary hearing for three of the 14 men accused in the kidnapping plot against Gov. READ: How a post office worker became FBIโs inside man into terrorism plot against Gov. READ: Who are the Wolverine Watchmen? READ: A look at group texts between suspects in terrorist plot against Michigan Gov.
How a post office worker became FBIโs inside man into terrorism plot against Gov. Whitmer
JACKSON, Mich. โ New evidence in the domestic terrorism plot to kidnap or kill Gov. READ: 3 men charged in domestic terrorism plot against Gov. READ: Who are the Wolverine Watchmen? RELATED: A look at group texts between suspects in terrorist plot against Michigan Gov. The man wanted out, but the FBI asked him to stay with the Wolverine Watchmen, wear a wire, record everything and risk his life.
3 men charged in domestic terrorism plot against Gov. Whitmer appear in court
JACKSON, Mich. โ Attorneys for Pete Musico, his son-in-law Joseph Morrison and Paul Bellar -- who are accused of being involved in a domestic terrorism plot to kidnap or kill Gov. The attorneys are questioning the description of the Wolverine Watchmen as a terrorist organization. READ: Who are the Wolverine Watchmen? The FBI said they never heard of the Wolverine Watchmen until one of them created a Facebook Group. RELATED: A look at group texts between suspects in terrorist plot against Michigan Gov.
A look at group texts between suspects in terrorist plot against Michigan Gov. Whitmer
Details of the secret group chat held by some of the suspects in the alleged domestic terrorism plot to kidnap and kill Gov. Local 4 Defenders saw the groupโs conversation in which one member alerted them that police questioned a former roommate of his in Milford. All defendants on the group chat are from Metro Detroit. Fox reportedly wasnโt told that members believed the suspected domestic terrorist plot had gotten out. Many of the suspects in the alleged domestic terrorism plot to kidnap and kill Gov.
Prosecution against 8 men in Michigan domestic terror plot continues
JACKSON COUNTY, Mich. โ Michigan Attorney General Dana Nesselโs prosecution against the eight men facing domestic terrorism charges for an alleged plot to storm the Capitol building and kidnap elected officials, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, continued Friday with a bond hearing for two of the defendants in Jackson County 12th District Court. He remains lodged in the Jackson County Jail. Brian Higgins, 52, of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, is being extradited to Michigan from Columbia County, Wisconsin. Future court dates for Antrim County defendants can be tracked online at the courtโs website, while those for Jackson County defendants can also be tracked online.
Gov. Whitmer kidnapping plot: Hereโs what weโve learned as of Friday afternoon
Local 4 has learned more Friday about the alleged plot to kidnap Gov. Thatโs when the Wolverine Watchmen caught the FBIโs attention. In June, the men involved in the kidnapping conspiracy started meeting with members of the Wolverine Watchmen and recruiting others to their ranks. โThey belong to a group, a militia group, called the Wolverine Watchmen. A house on Dunn Road in Munith that was raided Oct. 8, 2020, in connection with a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov.
Jackson County home was alleged โtraining groundโ in plot to kidnap Whitmer
MUNITH, Mich. โ Federal and state officials have charged 13 people after uncovering a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and overthrow the Michigan government, FBI agents said. Through confidential informants and undercover agents, the FBI gained access to audio recordings, ground messages and secret meetings as the group plotted for months, according to court records. In addition to a Wednesday night raid in Hartland, FBI agents also raided the home of two of the suspects in Jackson County. Authorities said the Munith home served as a training facility for members of the group now facing terrorism charges.
View: Mugshots for all 14 people charged after FBI uncovered plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Whitmer
Paul Bellar, 21, of Milford, was charged with providing material support for terrorist acts, gang membership and a felony firearm violation. Providing material support for terrorists acts, threat of terrorism and gang membership are each 20-year felonies. The felony firearm violations come with mandatory two-year prison sentences, to be served consecutively. You can view mugshots for Bellar, Musico, Morrison, Molitor, Fix and the Nulls below. Brian Higgins was charged after the FBI uncovered a domestic terror plot targeting Michigan Gov.