MICHIGAN — One of the men charged with allegedly plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has pleaded guilty, court documents show.
Ty Garbin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and faces up to life in prison, a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment.
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The US Attorney's office released a statement Wednesday, saying in part that, "Garbin has agreed to fully cooperate with federal and state law enforcement in the investigation and prosecution of all criminal activity, including the conspiracy to kidnap the Governor."
Their office will decide whether or not to file a motion to reduce Garbin’s sentence and, even if the motion is filed, a court will still have to grant or deny it.
Documents unsealed in the case just this week shed new light on what the group was considering before settling on a final plan.
Initially, the documents allege, they were planning to storm the Michigan Capitol during a 2nd amendment rally in June and "try any politicians they caught for treason and execute them by hanging on live television."
At one point, one of the men involved is alleged to have suggested they "firebomb" a Michigan State Police post nearby the Capitol to distract from their potential siege.
When the plan shifted to taking the Governor from her summer home in Northern Michigan, Garbin apparently sent messages to the group, relying heavily on emojis, suggesting that if a bridge near her home went down, it would stop the wave of police that would inevitably head their way.
Garbin, a former airline mechanic with no criminal history, is still looking at the possibility of life in prison when he is sentenced in July.
Read the full plea agreement here.
