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Three men accused of supporting terrorism in the plot to kidnap the governor of Michigan were convicted on all charges Wednesday in a trial that centered on paramilitary exercises and vehement disregard for the government ahead of the 2020 election.
Joe Morrison, his father-in-law Pete Musico and Paul Bellar were found guilty of providing “material support” for an act of terrorism as members of a group known as the Wolverine Watchmen.
Judge Thomas Wilson ordered all three to prison pending sentencing on December 15.
They held weapons training in rural Jackson County with kidnapping plan leader Adam Fox, who was disgusted by Democratic administration Gretchen Whitmer and other officials and said he wanted to get her.
The state court trial was an offshoot of the main case in federal court, producing mixed results: Fox and an ally were convicted of conspiracy, two more men pleaded guilty, but two others were acquitted.
Jurors in Jackson, Michigan, read and heard violent anti-government lyrics and supported the “boogaloo,” a civil war that could be sparked by a shocking kidnapping.
Paul Bellar (left), 24, Joseph Morrison (center), 28, and Pete Musico (right), 44, were convicted after plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer
Governor Gretchen Whitmer (pictured): The verdicts ‘are further proof that violence and threats have no place in our politics’
Prosecutors said the COVID-19 restrictions ordered by Whitmer proved fruitful in recruiting more people for the Watchmen.
“The facts are slowly trickling out and you’re starting to see — wow — things happened that people knew about,” Assistant Attorney General Bill Rollstin told the jury.
“When you see how close Adam Fox got to the governor, you can see how a very bad event was foiled.”
Morrison, 28, Musico, 44, and Bellar, 24, were also convicted of a gun offense and gang membership. Prosecutors said the Wolverine Watchmen was a criminal enterprise.
Morrison, who recently tested positive for COVID-19, and Musico were emotional as they watched the verdicts on video outside the courtroom.
The statements “are further proof that violence and threats have no place in our politics,” said Whitmer, who has not participated in state or federal cases as a witness or spectator.
“Those who try to sow discord by pursuing violent plots will be held accountable under the law,” Whitmer said.
Paul Bellar is in custody after the verdict in his trial before Judge Thomas Wilson, the Jackson County Circuit Court
Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Wilson listens to verdict against Paul Bellar, Joseph Morrison and Pete Musico
Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat in a tense race for re-election, praised the outcome and praised law enforcement. After nine days of hearing testimony, the jury deliberated for less than two hours on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday.
“Jackson County is not known to have, I would say, liberal juries. They’re usually a conservative couple,’ Nessel said.
“But I think they saw here that this is not a political issue. These are individuals who have not joined any party. Actually, they were all against the government together.’
Defense attorneys argued that Morrison, Musico and Bellar had severed ties with Fox before the Whitmer plot came into focus towards the end of the summer of 2020; Bellar had left the state.
Nor did they travel with Fox to explore the governor’s vacation home or participate in an important weekend training session at a makeshift “shooting house” in Luther, Michigan.
“In this country you can talk, but you will only be judged if you go ahead,” Musico’s attorney, Kareem Johnson, said in his closing remarks.
They couldn’t argue about entrapment. But lawyers attacked the tactics and motives of Dan Chappel, 36, an undercover informant. He took instructions from FBI agents, secretly recorded conversations and produced a deep cache of messages exchanged with the men.
Chappel, an Army veteran, said he joined the Watchmen because he wanted to improve his weapon skills. But when the conversation turned to harming the police, he went to the FBI and agreed to gather evidence for an investigation that eventually uncovered a target on Whitmer.
Chappel told the jurors it was “absolutely” risky.
“If I were ever compromised,” he said, “it wouldn’t be a good day.”
Pete Musico, top right, and Joseph Morrison, center, are seen on a video screen as they respond to a guilty plea as read in court
Whitmer, who is seeking re-election on Nov. 8, was never physically harmed. Undercover agents and informants were in Fox’s group for months. The settlement was broken in October 2020 with 14 arrests.
Fox and Barry Croft Jr. were convicted by federal court in August of conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta were acquitted last spring. Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks pleaded guilty.
Five of the 14 men are being charged in state court in Antrim County, the location of Whitmer’s second home. A judge there has yet to determine whether there is enough evidence to send them to trial.
In 2020, Whitmer accused then-President Donald Trump of fueling mistrust and anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing hate groups and extremists like those charged in Michigan. Protesters, including many with guns, filled the state Capitol that year, blocking traffic during a series of stormy demonstrations.
Whitmer extended the criticism to her election opponent, Tudor Dixon, telling The Associated Press hours after the Jackson trial that the Republican candidate is “part of the problem.”
“She has devised a plot to kidnap and kill me. She has downplayed other threats to me and my family,” Whitmer said Wednesday.
The governor referred to Dixon’s comments in September when she told supporters Whitmer was “good at taking things hostage and holding them for ransom.”
Dixon’s response to the verdicts was more moderate, saying she’s “glad that justice has been done.”