(Reuters) – A jury in Michigan began deliberations on Monday in the retrial of two men accused by the prosecution of devising an elaborate plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer, though the defense claimed they were engaged merely in idle chatter.
Adam Fox, 39, and Barry Croft Jr., 46, face the possibility of life in prison if convicted of kidnapping and weapons conspiracy charges in federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
A mistrial was declared in their first trial in April, while two other defendants were found not guilty in one of the most prominent cases in years involving domestic terrorism charges and militias.
Croft is also charged with possession of an explosive device, which prosecutors say the alleged conspirators planned to use during the plot.
The two are among 13 men who were arrested in October 2020 and charged with state or federal crimes in the alleged kidnapping conspiracy. Seven of them are facing charges in state court.
(Reporting by Tyler Clifford in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
