Man Agrees To Plead Guilty In Plot To Kidnap Michigan Governor

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — One of the six people charged in a conspiracy to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has agreed to plead guilty, federal documents filed Wednesday show.

Ty Garbin, 25, pleaded guilty Wednesday in the U.S. District Court Western Division of Michigan in Grand Rapids, court records show. Sentencing in Garbin's case has been scheduled for July 8.

Garbin on Tuesday signed a plea agreement with U.S. attorneys in which he will plead guilty on one count of kidnapping conspiracy, a charge punishable by up to life in prison and/or a $250,000 fine, court documents show.

Garbin originally had been slated to stand trial March 23 along with his five co-defendants — Brandon Caserta, Barry Croft, Daniel Harris, Adam Fox and Kaleb Franks. All six men are charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping, a felony life offense.

Eight others are also charged in connection with the plot against Whitmer, but that case is being handled at the state level by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Related: Trial Date Set For 6 Accused In Plot To Kidnap Michigan Governor

Garbin, who is from Hartland Township, was a consistent attendee of conspiracy meetings and training exercises with other members, federal documents show. He was among a group that discussed attacking a Michigan State Police facility and then suggested "shooting up" the governor's vacation home, according to federal documents.

Garbin offered to paint his personal boat black in order to hide it more effectively if the group were to spy on the governor's vacation home from the water, according to federal documents.

Mark Satawa, Garbin's attorney, previously said Garbin had no intention to carry out a kidnapping, no matter what he might have said in recorded or online conversations, according to The Associated Press.

“Saying things like, ‘I hate the governor, the governor is tyrannical’ ... is not illegal, even if you’re holding a gun and running around the woods when you do it,” Satawa said in October.

According to federal charging documents, the six men charged in the federal case plotted ways to kidnap and potentially kill Whitmer. Feds said they spied on Whitmer's vacation home and even discussed blowing up a bridge near the home to delay first responders.

The group's "leader," Fox, had discussed storming the Michigan Capitol, saying he needed about 200 men to do so, documents show.

Harris at one point suggested the team simply knock on Whitmer's door and, when she answered, "just cap her," according to documents.

Information and reporting from The Associated Press contributed to this report.