LANSING, Mich. — The final two remaining defendants related to the plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer were sentenced Thursday.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said Thursday Judge Charles Hamlyn of the 13th Circuit Court in Antrim County sentenced the pair.
Brian Higgins of Wisconsin was sentenced to three years of probation with credit for 217 days of jail time.
Higgins pleaded guilty on March 15, 2023, to one count of attempting to provide material support for terrorism.
Meanwhile, Judge Hamlyn sentenced Shawn Fix of Belleville to three-to-20 years of probation with credit for 34 days served.
Fix pleaded guilty on June 7, 2023, to one count of providing material support for a terroristic act.
In total, AG Nessel charged 20 state felonies against eight individuals accused of engaging in the planning and training for an operation to attack the state Capitol building and kidnap government officials, including Gov. Whitmer.
Five of the eight were convicted of crimes in support of the plot.
In addition to the convictions of Higgins and Fix, a jury found three others guilty in October 2022 in a Jackson County trial. All three are currently incarcerated for their roles in the plot.
Paul Bellar of Milford was found guilty of gang membership, providing material support for terrorist acts and carrying or possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Joseph Morrison of Munith was found guilty of gang membership, providing material support for terrorist acts and carrying or possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Pete Musico of Munith was also found guilty of gang membership, providing material support for terrorist acts and carrying or possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony.
“Violence is never the answer, and today’s [Thursday’s] sentencing ensures that these men will be held accountable for their attempts to harm the general public, members of law enforcement and the governor,” Nessel said. “I am grateful for the exemplary work of the investigators and prosecutors in my department, along with the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Michigan State Police.”
