Man gets 6 years in Michigan governor kidnap plot

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A man upset over state-ordered coronavirus restrictions was sentenced to just over six years in prison Wednesday for planning to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a significant break that reflected his quick decision to cooperate and help agents build cases against others.

Ty Garbin admitted his role in the alleged scheme weeks after his arrest last fall.

He is among six men charged in federal court but the only one to plead guilty so far. It was a key victory for prosecutors as they try to prove an astonishing plot against the rest.

Garbin apologized to Ms. Whitmer, who was not in court, and her family.

“I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of stress and fear her family felt because of my actions. And for that I am truly sorry,” the 25year-old aviation mechanic told the judge.

In his plea agreement, Garbin said the six men trained at his property near Luther, Mich., constructing a “shoot house” to resemble Ms. Whitmer’s vacation home and “assaulting it with firearms.”

The government, noting Garbin’s exceptional cooperation, asked U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker to give him credit for helping investigators reinforce their case against his co-defendants.

The “Constitution is designed to ensure that we work out our fundamental and different views peacefully, not at the point of a gun, not with some other blunt force threat or a kidnapping conspiracy,” the judge said.

Prosecutors recommended a nine-year prison term. But Judge Jonker went shorter, at 6¼ years, saying he was convinced that Garbin was an “excellent prospect” to stay out of trouble when released from prison.

The government and Garbin’s lawyers took turns praising his willingness to admit guilt.

Ms. Whitmer wrote a victim impact statement to the judge, saying, “Things will never be the same.”