Three men sentenced to prison for Gov. Whitmer kidnapping plot

Defense attorneys argued that the men had cut ties with the paramilitary group before the kidnapping scheme was foiled.

Published: December 15, 2022 11:25am

Updated: December 15, 2022 12:06pm

Three people, including a man and his son-in-law, were sentenced to prison Thursday for assisting the leader of a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020.

Pete Musico received a minimum sentence of 12 years in prison while his son-in-law Joe Morrison was sentenced to 10 years, The Associated Press reported. A third person, Paul Bellar, received seven years behind bars during the sentencing hearing for all three men in Jackson County, Michigan.

The men were convicted in October of materially supporting a terrorist act and two other counts.

Musico, 45, Morrison, 28, and Bellar, 24, were also convicted of a firearms crime and being part of a gang, the paramilitary group known as the Wolverine Watchmen.

Whitmer was never harmed in the plot, which was foiled by undercover FBI agents.

Attorneys for the men argued that their clients had cut ties with the group before the scheme was foiled.