The only defendant to plead guilty so far in the plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was sentenced in Grand Rapids on Wednesday.
Ty Garbin (File photo)
Ty Garbin, 25, of Hartland Township, was given a six-year prison sentence by a federal judge, who noted the defendant's cooperation with prosecutors.
From his seat at the head of the courtroom, Garbin apologized to his family and to Whitmer for causing them such distress since his highly publicized arrest.
“I can’t even begin to imagine the amount of stress and fear her family members felt due to my actions,” he said. “And for that I am truly sorry.”
U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker acknowledged Garbin's willingness to cooperate with prosecutors and his genuine interest in reform when he delivered the 75-month sentence. Jonker said he hopes it deters other people from getting swept up in extremist ideology and plots of violence.
Garbin is expected to testify in the trials of five other men charged in federal court in connection with the plot, revealed last October. Reportedly, the men planned to kidnap Whitmer, hold a show trial and then either execute her or abandon her in a disabled boat far out in Lake Michigan. Another eight are charged in state court in connection to the case.
No trial dates have been set for the other defendants.
