Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Indictment Dec. 16, 2020
Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Indictment Dec. 16, 2020
Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Indictment Dec. 16, 2020
Plaintiff,
vs.
(Kidnapping Conspiracy)
From at least on or about June 6, 2020, through and including October 7, 2020, in the
and others known and unknown, willfully and knowingly combined, conspired, confederated,
and agreed with each other to violate Title 18, United States Code, Section 1201(a).
The object of the conspiracy was to unlawfully seize, confine, kidnap, abduct and carry
away, and hold for ransom and reward, or otherwise, the Governor of the State of Michigan (“the
Governor”).
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In order to effectuate the object of the conspiracy, the defendants used means, facilities,
social-media platforms and encrypted messaging services, and global positioning satellite
(“GPS”) navigation. In addition, defendant BARRY GORDON CROFT, JR. traveled from
Delaware to Wisconsin and the Western District of Michigan to train with conspirators, practice
building and detonating improvised explosive devices, and conduct surveillance of the
OVERT ACTS
In furtherance of the conspiracy and to effectuate its illegal object, the following overt
acts, among others, were committed in the Western District of Michigan and elsewhere:
1. On or about June 6, 2020, ADAM DEAN FOX and BARRY GORDON CROFT,
JR. met in Dublin, Ohio to discuss anti-government actions, including the kidnapping of state
2. On or about June 18, 2020, ADAM DEAN FOX met TY GERARD GARBIN, a
leader of the Michigan-based “militia” group called the Wolverine Watchmen, at a rally outside
the State Capitol in Lansing. ADAM DEAN FOX invited TY GERARD GARBIN and other
Wolverine Watchmen members to meet him in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with the intent to
3. On or about June 20, 2020, ADAM DEAN FOX met TY GERARD GARBIN and
other Wolverine Watchmen members in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and proposed working
2
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4. On or about July 10-12, 2020, BARRY GORDON CROFT, JR. traveled from
Delaware to Wisconsin to attend a “field training exercise” with Wolverine Watchmen members
BRANDON MICHAEL-RAY CASERTA, where the group practiced combat tactics, including
assaulting motor vehicles using semiautomatic assault rifles and live ammunition.
5. On or about July 11, 2020, at the “field training exercise,” BARRY GORDON
CROFT, JR., TY GERARD GARBIN, and DANIEL JOSEPH HARRIS attempted to detonate
about August 9, 2020, ADAM DEAN FOX proposed kidnapping the Governor to TY GERARD
Lake Orion, Michigan, where they examined each other’s identification documents in an attempt
to verify that no members of the group were undercover law enforcement agents or informants.
encrypted messaging group for the conspirators, including TY GERARD GARBIN, KALEB
using a service he said would enable them to instantly delete their messages in case of federal
surveillance of the Governor’s vacation home, and drew a map on which he noted approximate
3
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suggested that taking down a highway bridge near the Governor’s vacation home would hinder a
law enforcement response, and offered to paint his boat black for a future nighttime surveillance
trip.
11. Over the weekend of September 12-13, 2020, ADAM DEAN FOX, BARRY
exercise” on TY GERARD GARBIN’s property near Luther, Michigan. At the training exercise,
they practiced assaulting a building in teams, and discussed tactics for fighting the Governor’s
security detail with improvised explosive devices, a projectile launcher, and other weapons.
12. From the night of September 12, 2020 into the early morning of September 13,
2020, ADAM DEAN FOX, BARRY GORDON CROFT, JR., TY GERARD GARBIN, and
KALEB JAMES FRANKS conducted a nighttime surveillance of the Governor’s vacation home
and a nearby public boat ramp, using two-way radios and a night-vision scope.
13. On the way to the nighttime surveillance of the vacation home on September 12,
2020, ADAM DEAN FOX and BARRY GORDON CROFT, JR. stopped to inspect the
underside of a highway bridge near the vacation home for a place to mount an explosive charge.
14. During the field training exercise near Luther, Michigan on September 13, 2020,
BARRY GORDON CROFT, JR. detonated an improvised explosive device containing shrapnel,
near human silhouette targets hung by the conspirators to assess its effectiveness.
15. On or about September 13, 2020, ADAM DEAN FOX ordered $4,000 worth of
4
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FRANKS agreed to decline participation in a public rally at the State Capitol in Lansing,
Michigan, and concurred that it was important to keep a low profile “if we want to continue with
our plans.”
17. On or about October 2, 2020, ADAM DEAN FOX purchased a Taser-type high-
instructed his co-conspirators in an encrypted video message that if they encountered police
during a reconnaissance, they should give the officers one opportunity to leave, and kill them if
KALEB JAMES FRANKS, and DANIEL JOSEPH HARRIS drove to Ypsilanti, Michigan, to
meet the undercover FBI agent posing as a co-conspirator, and use the “group cash” for a good-
18 U.S.C. § 1201(c)
5
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FORFEITURE ALLEGATION
(Firearms and Ammunition)
1. The allegations contained in this indictment are hereby realleged and incorporated
by reference for the purpose of alleging forfeitures pursuant to Title 18, United States Code,
Section 924(d) and Title 28, United States Code, Section 2461(c).
2. Upon conviction of the offense in violation of Title 18, United States Code,
shall forfeit to the United States pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(d) and
Title 28, United States Code, Section 2461(c), any firearms and ammunition involved in the
18 U.S.C. § 924(d)
28 U.S.C. § 2461(c)
A TRUE BILL
__________________________________________
GRAND JURY FOREPERSON
___________________________________
NILS R. KESSLER
Assistant United States Attorney
___________________________________
AUSTIN J. HAKES
Assistant United States Attorney