DETROIT — Kaleb Franks, a central figure in the largest domestic terrorism investigation in a generation who admitted to plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, was sentenced to four years in federal prison Thursday.
The sentence represented a big break because Franks pleaded guilty to a charge punishable by up to life in prison. Prosecutors and his lawyer argued Franks deserved the break because he testified against two ringleaders during two federal trials in Grand Rapids and helped convince jurors the would-be kidnappers were not entrapped by a team of undercover FBI agents and informants.
U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker credited the 28-year-old Waterford Township resident for pleading guilty, enduring the stress and toll of cooperating and testifying against others.
