Man admits role in plot to abduct Gov. Whitmer; first defendant to enter plea – WZZM13.com

Ty Garbin, 25, entered his plea during a Wednesday hearing in Grand Rapids federal court; a trial date has been set for his five co-defendants.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. A Livingston County man has pleaded guilty to conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, becoming the first defendant to admit responsibility in a case that included allegations of setting Whitmer adrift on Lake Michigan.

Ty Garbin entered his plea during a Wednesday hearing in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids. A trial date for the other federal defendants has been set for March.

Garbin will remain in federal custody ahead of sentencing later this year. He faces any term of years up to life in prison.

Under the plea agreement, Garbin, 25, admitted that he attended a Second Amendment Rally outside the state Capitol building in Lansing. At that rally, co-defendant Adam Fox said he wanted to recruit 200 people to storm the Capitol, try any politicians they caught for treason and execute them by hanging on live television, court records show.

Garbin also admitted that he attended a meeting hosted by Fox in Wyoming, Mich. in which Fox proposed kidnapping Whitmer and holding her for trial.

In the 17-page plea agreement, Garbin admitted to attending a field training exercise in Wisconsin where conspirators again discussed a plan to storm the Michigan Capitol and kidnap the governor.

Conspirators eventually agreed that the Capitol would be too hard of a target and began planning instead to assault the governors vacation home in northern Michigan, court records show.

The plea agreement contains additional details of the conspiracy, which continued up until the six federal defendants were arrested.

It includes a September field training exercise at Garbins property near Luther, Mich. and the assembly of a shoot house to simulate Whitmers vacation home.

Throughout the day on September 12, 2020, the defendant and the other conspirators discussed their plans to kidnap the Governor, according to the plea agreement.

That evening, Garbin and others drove to Whitmers vacation home to see how the area looked in the dark because they expected to kidnap the Governor at night, according to the plea agreement.

On Oct. 7, Garbin and some of his co-defendants travelled to Ypsilanti to meet with an undercover FBI agent, not knowing the meeting was a ruse to facilitate their arrest.

During Wednesdays plea hearing, Judge Robert J. Jonker explained there would be a guideline range for sentencing. The sentence, Jonker said, will also be designed to convince you not to get involved in anything like this again.

The judge explained that Garbin could receive a lower sentence for providing substantial assistance to the government.

Jonker asked Garbin if he wanted to proceed with the plea hearing. Garbin said he did.

Do you have any second thoughts? the judge asked. I do not, Garbin responded.

During questioning by the judge, Garbin said he grew up in Wyandotte, Mich. and graduated from high school there. He also said he attended a trade school for aviation maintenance.

The judge told Garbin that sentencing will be held July 8.

Meanwhile, state cases are pending against eight other people on terrorism-related charges.

At the core of the state and federal cases was dissatisfaction with government and restrictions tied to the coronavirus pandemic. More than 200 state and federal law enforcement officials were involved in the investigations, which lasted several months and spanned several states.

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Man admits role in plot to abduct Gov. Whitmer; first defendant to enter plea - WZZM13.com