2nd man pleads guilty in alleged 2020 plot to kidnap Whitmer

ANNA LIZ NICHOLS and ED WHITE, Associated Press

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A second man has pleaded guilty in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The plea Wednesday by Kaleb Franks leaves four other men to face trial in March and gives prosecutors a second insider who would be a key witness.

Franks joins Ty Garbin in admitting guilt in the scheme to kidnap the Democratic governor. FBI agents stepped in and arrested the group in October 2020, and Garbin pleaded guilty last year.

The government said six men wanted to kidnap Whitmer because of their disgust over COVID-19 restrictions. The plot included outdoor training with firearms in Wisconsin and Michigan and scouting Whitmer’s second home in northern Michigan.