Three men have been found guilty of aiding a plot to kidnap after a governor imposed restrictions during Covid.
A Michigan jury on Wednesday, after two weeks of testimony in Jackson County Circuit Court, found Joseph Morrison, 28, his father-in-law Pete Musico, 44, and Paul Bellar, 23, guilty of gang membership, firearm violations and providing material support for terrorism.
It was a plot that prosecutors said grew out of hostility over restrictions Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer imposed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They could face up to 20 years in prison.
The three are among more than a dozen men arrested in October 2020 and charged with state or federal crimes in the alleged kidnapping conspiracy.
After the verdicts, the governor who is up for re-election in November, said she was not deterred by the threats and rhetoric that were presented in the case.
"These verdicts are further proof that violence and threats have no place in our politics," she said in a tweet.
The verdict was a victory for state prosecutors who argued that the men on trial assisted two others who in August were
found guilty in federal court of kidnapping conspiracy.
It stands as the most prominent case involving domestic terrorism and militias in years.
Kareem Johnson, an attorney who represented Mr Musico, said he accepted the decision reached by jurors, though he plans to file
an appeal.
"We're disappointed," he said. "I believe in Mr. Musico's innocence."
Lawyers for Mr Morrison and Mr Bellar were not immediately available for comment. Prosecutors did not immediately respond
to a request for comment on the verdicts.
In the earlier trial, Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. were found guilty of plotting to abduct the governor from her vacation
home.
Their convictions followed a first trial earlier this year that ended in a hung jury. Two other defendants were acquitted
during those proceedings.
Prosecutors said Mr Morrison, Mr Musico and Mr Bellar were members of a militia group called the Wolverine Watchmen.
The group planned to break into the governor's vacation home, kidnap her and take her at gunpoint to stand "trial" on treason charges, they said.
The conspirators hoped that an abduction would lead to a violent uprising and instigate a civil war, prosecutors said.
Mr Morrison and Mr Musico were accused of hosting tactical training sessions on their property in a remote part of
Michigan.
Mr Bellar was accused of providing plans for tactical manoeuvres, coded language for covert communication and ammunition.
Defense attorneys argued the defendants did not know of a plan to kidnap the governor and that their actions were protected by the First and Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
In September, a federal judge reduced the sentence of Ty Garbin, who pleaded guilty to participating in the plot after
his testimony helped convict Fox and Croft.
Kaleb Franks, who also pleaded guilty to playing a role in the scheme, was sentenced to four years in prison earlier this month after serving as a key witness in the case against Fox and Croft.
