Man sentenced to 16 years for conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a Delaware man to 16 years in prison for his role in a plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, opting against the prosecution’s offer of life behind bars.

Adam Fox was convicted in August of conspiring to commit a kidnapping and use a weapon of mass destruction to attack Whitmer, who had drawn the ire of far-right groups for his efforts to slow the spread of Covid in 2020.

In April, jurors failed to reach a verdict against Fox and co-defendant Barry Croft, forcing a judge to declare a mistrial before a the second trial was decisive.

US District Judge Robert Jonker questioned whether Fox was a true “natural leader” of the plot, worthy of a life sentence.

“I don’t think a life sentence is needed to achieve the important public deterrents,” Jonker said, explaining the 192-month sentence.

Assistant US Attorney Nils Kessler had said that Fox was ready to unleash all-out war and needed to be locked up for life.

“They wanted a second Civil War or a revolution,” Kessler told the court on Tuesday. “They wanted to ruin everything for everyone.”

The plot was hatched in response to Whitmer’s actions during the start of the pandemic in 2020 when he ordered several lockdowns aimed at slowing the spread of Covid.

Far-right groups criticized Whitmer, and then-President Donald Trump appeared to endorse that. opposition in a tweet in capital letters.

This is a developing story. Please check for updates.