Appeals Court Overturns Convictions in Whitmer Kidnapping Plot

An appeals court in Michigan has dismissed convictions for two men tied to the 2020 plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Pete Musico and Paul Bellar, who were charged with providing support for an act of terrorism, saw their convictions overturned after a ruling by the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Initially, three men were accused of being involved with the plot, including Joe Morrison. Morrison’s conviction was previously dismissed in June, setting a legal precedent that benefitted Musico and Bellar as well. The appeals court decision rested on the interpretation that kidnapping does not constitute a violent felony under the state’s terrorism law.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel criticized the decision, labeling it as “linguistic gymnastics.” She intends to request that the Michigan Supreme Court review the cases. None of the men, including Morrison, Musico, and Bellar, were charged with directly trying to kidnap Whitmer.

Bellar had moved out of Michigan before the arrests in October 2020, while Morrison and Musico claimed they were no longer associating with key figures involved. The three men had been part of a paramilitary group that trained with Adam Fox. Fox faced prosecution in federal court as a key ringleader and received a 16-year sentence for conspiracy.

The planned kidnapping aimed to abduct Whitmer from her vacation home before the 2020 presidential election. Prosecutors argued that the conspirators were angry about COVID-19 restrictions introduced by Whitmer and other officials and perceived threats to their gun rights. Whitmer was not harmed due to the intervention of undercover FBI agents and informants who had infiltrated Fox’s group.

The investigation yielded varied outcomes for prosecutors at both state and federal levels, with five of the 14 men involved being acquitted at trials.