(Source: MIRS.news, Publsihed 03/28/2022) A FBI agent testified Monday that the alleged ringleader in the plot to kidnap the Governor promised an IOU as he ordered explosives and 20 flash-bang grenades to further the plan.
The accused ringleader, Adam Fox, of Potterville, told the group at a 2020 meeting in Luther that they needed to raise $4,000 to make the explosives purchase and everyone had to be in if they were committed to the plan, the agent, who used the name “Red” in the investigation, testified.
"If we're all good with this, we're going to move forward," Fox is heard telling the group in a recording.
Another conspirator, Barry Croft Jr., suggested to the undercover agent that using propane tanks as explosives and napalm were also options, according to a recording the jury held today.
The agent, whom MIRS is not identifying by his real name because he remains involved in active investigations, testified that he infiltrated the group in 2020 as an explosives expert. His role was to ensure Fox and the other conspirators would not make their own explosives or try to purchase explosives from another.
"I'm not a bomb maker, no," Red testified on cross-examination.
The trial for Fox, Croft, Brandon Caserta and Daniel Harris continues in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids. They are charged with conspiracy to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer while Croft, Fox, and Harris are also charged with conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction.
Croft and Harris are also charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device and Harris is the sole defendant charged with possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle.
The government expects to conclude its case Tuesday, which means the defense will begin its case no later than Wednesday. Two of the defense attorneys want another confidential informant, Steve Robeson, to testify, but Robeson is fighting that, claiming he will exercise his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
The government dropped Robeson as an informant, alleging he took action without their knowledge that aided the defendants and the alleged conspiracy.
The trial, on its 11th day, is expected to take four to five weeks.
Explosives Talk Excites Conspirators
Red testified that an FBI confidential informant known as "Dan," later identified as Dan Chappel, introduced him as a friend to the Wolverine Watchmen.
Red said he attended the group's training exercises and he accompanied Fox and Croft as they surveilled Whitmer's vacation home. At one point, he noted, Fox stopped to inspect a bridge on U.S. 31.
Red said Fox suggested blowing up the bridge as a way to slow law enforcement response, while Croft discussed blowing up telephone poles and utility lines as another way to hinder police.
Red said prior to the surveillance trip he showed the men a FBI-created video of an SUV being blown up, which Fox appeared excited to see. In a recording of the viewing, Fox is heard questioning Red about how much the explosives costs and whether they come in a variety pack.
Other recordings presented earlier in the trial show group members making explosives, and in one recording, Croft expressed a desire to have extra explosives for potential targets.
In a recording played to the jury today, Croft explains how to use a 5-gallon propane tank and napalm to attack Whitmer's home.
"I'm dumb as shit, bro. I'll put 4 guys on f----- crotch rockets and f------ send them in with f----- bug sprayers and I'm burning the f----- house down with napalm silently in the night and burn you while you're in there," Croft told Red, according to the recording.
"… I promise you, a couple of mother----- burn to a crisp in the night … those sons of bitches will be running and singing like f---- canaries, 'Please don't torch me in my sleep.' You know what I mean? And I hate to think like that. I'm a good man. I'm really not that kind of guy," Croft said.
On cross-examination, Croft's attorney, Joshua Blanchard, suggested the napalm and explosives discussions were nothing more than talk. He also asked if the defendants gave Red money, which they did not.
Red testified that the group would meet in October 2020 to purchase the explosives materials, but instead, four of the defendants were arrested in a sting at a warehouse on James L. Hart Parkway in Ypsilanti.
"Nobody ever actually gave you money, right? Nobody ever shook your hand and said, 'We got a deal,' right?" Blanchard asked.
"Correct," Red answered to both questions.
Four other FBI agents also testified today about the evidence seized when executing search warrants at the conspirators' homes and vehicles, including firearms and ammunition as well as silencers, night vision scopes, and cell phones.
Prior Testimony
Prior testimony from other FBI agents as well as undercover informants revealed that at least one group member referenced the Boogaloo movement, which wants to spark a second civil war.
The plan to "kick off the Boog," from alleged ringleader Fox, included storming the state Capitol and taking lawmakers hostage before morphing into the plot to kidnap Whitmer before the 2020 presidential election. (See "Conspirator: Goal Was to Snatch Gov Before Presidential Election," 3/23/22.)
Testimony from two conspirators, Ty GARBIN, of Hartland Township, and Kaleb FRANKS, of Waterford, detailed the group's field training exercises, which included creating and using a "shoot house" to simulate the plan. (See "Convicted Conspirator Hoped 'I Would Be Killed' In Kidnap Plot," 3/24/22.)
Garbin was sentenced to 75 months in prison for his role in the plot, while Franks' sentencing is scheduled for June 8. (See "Whitmer Conspirator Gets 75 Months," 8/24/21 and "2nd Whitmer Kidnap Suspect To Plead Guilty," 2/7/22.)
Charges against eight other men accused of providing material support for terrorist acts in connection with the plot are pending in state courts.
