A Michigan man was sentenced to six years and three months in prison Wednesday for his participation in the 2020 plot to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Ty Garbin pleaded guilty in January to kidnapping and conspiracy charges as part of the plot. His defense attorney, Gary Springstead, promised in court that Garbin would be a “star witness” against the other five men who were charged, The Associated Press reported.
BREAKING: A man upset over state-ordered coronavirus restrictions has been sentenced to just over six years in prison for planning to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. https://t.co/y33sg6lMTT
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 25, 2021
Garbin apologized to Judge Robert Jonker in court.
“I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of stress and fear her family felt because of my actions. And for that I am truly sorry,” he said.
Whitmer was not in attendance, although she submitted a victim impact statement in which she said that “things will never be the same.”
“Threats continue. I have looked out my windows and seen large groups of heavily armed people within 30 yards of my home. I have seen myself hung in effigy. Days ago at a demonstration there was a sign that called for ‘burning the witch.'”
Garbin hosted the five other men to train at his property in Luther, Michigan, where they constructed a model of Whitmer’s vacation house to practice the kidnapping, he told the court. The group of men visited the house twice on scouting trips, according to Garbin’s plea agreement. (RELATED: Grand Jury For Gov. Whitmer Kidnapping Attempt Adds ‘Weapon Of Mass Destruction’ Charges)
FBI agents and informants were deeply involved in the planning of the kidnapping, Buzzfeed News reported in July. One informant was so successful at infiltrating the militia group involved in the kidnapping that he became its second-in-command.
Prosecutors requested that Garbin be sentenced to nine years in prison.