Judge finds cases against 5 in Whitmer plot can move forward
U.S. Magistrate Judge Sally Berens said the five men's cases can go to a grand jury, which will determine whether to issue indictments. Berens on Tuesday denied bond for the three other Michigan residents charged in the case: Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta. Agent Richard Trask testified that members of anti-government paramilitary groups from several states discussed abducting Whitmer or Virginia Democratic Gov. Authorities found conversations among group members in which they were worried that federal authorities had infiltrated their planning sessions, he said. Berens found that the information presented showed the men had a unified purpose โ to kidnap Whitmer โ allowing the case to move forward.
Agent: Michigan, Virginia governors mentioned in kidnap plot
A judge ordered three of six men charged in the case held without bond until trial, delaying rulings on two defendants. It wasnโt immediately clear if talk of targeting Virginiaโs Democratic governor, Ralph Northam, continued beyond the meeting. Trask, the FBI agent, testified that authorities learned of the June meeting in Ohio while investigating various anti-government groups. Some defendants conducted surveillance of her northern Michigan house in August and September, according to the complaint. Michigan, and particularly the Detroit area, were hit hard early during the pandemic, leading Whitmer to tightly restrict personal movement and the economy.