Man gets 6 years in prison after pleading guilty in plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

Ty Garbin, a 25-year-old Michigan man who admitted he was part of a 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), was sentenced on Wednesday to 75 months in prison and ordered to pay a $2,500 fine.

More than a dozen men have been accused of being part of the plot. Government lawyers said it started with the idea of attacking legislators at the Michigan state Capitol and escalated to kidnapping Whitmer from her summer home. Garbin is the only person to have pleaded guilty as part of the case, and prosecutors said he has cooperated extensively, recounting conversations and incidents with the other alleged members of the plot.

Garbin worked as a mechanic, and his attorney said Whitmer's COVID-19 restrictions upset him so much that he sought out people online who were also mad at her. Speaking to the court on Wednesday, Garbin said he wanted to apologize to Whitmer and her family, adding that he "can't even begin to imagine the amount of stress and fear her family members felt because of my actions, and for that I'm truly sorry." Garbin added that he will continue to "deradicalize" himself and work to help others avoid joining extremist groups.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Under federal guidelines, Garbin could have been sentenced to up to 17-and-a-half years in prison, but U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker said Garbin showed remorse and took full responsibility for his actions, resulting in the lighter sentence.