Judge says no new trial in Whitmer kidnap plot

A federal judge has denied a new trial request by two men convicted of conspiring to kidnap Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Lawyers for Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. alleged misconduct by a juror and unfairness by U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker following their conviction by a federal jury in August.

Judge Jonker in a written ruling Friday shot down claims of juror misconduct and said he found “no constitutional violation and no credible evidence” to convene a new hearing.

Fox and Croft face up to life in prison when they’re sentenced Dec. 28.

Ms. Whitmer was never physically harmed in the plot, which led to more than a dozen arrests in 2020.

Fox and Croft’s first trial ended in a mistrial earlier this year when the jury was unable to come to a unanimous verdict. A motion for a third trial was filed in September.

Defense lawyers said a juror seated in the second trial was described by a coworker as “far-left leaning,” was eager to get on the jury and poised to convict before hearing evidence.