Three Men Convicted for Aiding Plot to Kidnap Gov. Whitmer Sentenced to at Least Seven Years

MARY CHASTAIN DEC 15, 2022 12:52 PM

A court sentenced Paul Bellar, Joseph Morrison, and Morrison’s father-in-law Pete Musico to at least seven years in prison for their involvement in planning to kidnap Michigan Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over COVID lockdowns.

The three men were convicted of providing material support for a terrorist act and belonging to a gang.

Bellar:

• Seven to 20 years on two charges, running consecutively.
• Five to 29 years for gang membership.
• Four to 20 years for providing material support to a terrorist.
• Two years for felony firearm.

Morrison:

• 10 to 20 years on three charges, running consecutively.
• 20 years for gang membership.
• Four to 20 years for providing material to a terrorist.
• Two years for felony firearm.

Musico:

• 12 to 20 years on three charges, running consecutively.
• Five to 20 years for gang membership.
• Five to 20 years for providing material to a terrorist.
• Two years for felony firearm.

In August, a Michigan jury found Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. guilty of conspiring to kidnap Whitmer and conspiring to obtain a weapon of mass destruction.

In April, a jury acquitted Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta after almost two years in prison.

Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks previously pled guilty to kidnapping conspiracy.

FBI informant Stephen Robeson was convicted of a federal gun crime.

The suspects in the plot have claimed the FBI set them up. Documents revealed at least 12 FBI confidential informants had a larger role than reported:

An examination of the case by BuzzFeed News also reveals that some of those informants, acting under the direction of the FBI, played a far larger role than has previously been reported. Working in secret, they did more than just passively observe and report on the actions of the suspects. Instead, they had a hand in nearly every aspect of the alleged plot, starting with its inception. The extent of their involvement raises questions as to whether there would have even been a conspiracy without them.A longtime government informant from Wisconsin, for example, helped organize a series of meetings around the country where many of the alleged plotters first met one another and the earliest notions of a plan took root, some of those people say. The Wisconsin informant even paid for some hotel rooms and food as an incentive to get people to come.The Iraq War vet, for his part, became so deeply enmeshed in a Michigan militant group that he rose to become its second-in-command, encouraging members to collaborate with other potential suspects and paying for their transportation to meetings. He prodded the alleged mastermind of the kidnapping plot to advance his plan, then baited the trap that led to the arrest.

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