KIDNAP PLOT PLEA Wisconsin man admits guilt in scheme to abduct governor

Mar. 16—BELLAIRE — A Wisconsin man accused in court of participating in a plot to kidnap Michigan's governor pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and said he would cooperate with prosecutors.

Brian Paul Higgins, 54, previously had pleaded not guilty to providing material support for an act of terrorism, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

A 13th Circuit Court judge accepted Higgins' guilty plea to a single charge of attempting to provide material support for an act of terrorism —a five-year felony — as part of an agreement negotiated with prosecutors on Wednesday.

The case is being prosecuted by staff attorneys with the Michigan Attorney General's office.

Higgins appeared remotely at the hearing, and acknowledged in court he was one of the drivers during a Sept. 12, 2020, nighttime surveillance of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's Antrim County vacation home and that he used his pickup truck's dashcam in an attempt to provide assistance to the plot.

Higgins said, at that time, he did not know the names "Adam Fox," or "Barry Croft Jr." They were two key players in the plot who have since been found guilty in federal court, but Higgins said he knew of the plot — and he knows their names now.

"Would you agree that the plot to kidnap Governor Whitmer would qualify as a violent felony?" 13th Circuit Court Judge Charles Hamlyn asked Higgins. "And by that I mean it had the attempted use of physical force against an individual, that being Governor Whitmer, do you agree with that?"

"I would agree," Higgins said.

"Would you agree that would be dangerous to human life?" the judge asked.

"I do," Higgins said.

Higgins was among five men who were charged in Antrim County and scheduled to stand trial together in August.

The others are: Shawn Fix, Eric Molitor and twin brothers Michael Null and William Null, who each face a single charge of providing material support for an act of terrorism and possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Fourteen people have so far been charged by state and federal prosecutors in three different courts.

The U.S. Justice Department previously secured convictions against four men in federal court, including Croft Jr. and Fox. A jury found two other men, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta, not guilty of conspiracy.

State charges were previously filed against three men in Jackson County and, in October, Paul Bellar, Joseph Morrison and Pete Musico were found guilty of providing material support for an act of terrorism and gang membership.

Evidence so far presented in court shows the men shared anti-government sentiments and believed the kidnapping could be a catalyst for desired civil unrest in advance of the 2020 presidential election.

Prosecutors with the Michigan Attorney General's office have said in court that thousands of hours of the men's phone and in-person conversations were recorded by undercover FBI agents and social media and text messages also were intercepted or obtained via search warrant, previous to arrests by law enforcement.

Defense attorneys for some of the men who were previously convicted have accused law enforcement of entrapment, stating that their clients were big talkers with neither the resources nor the capability of carrying out such a plot.

Higgins has the option of withdrawing his guilty plea if, at sentencing, Judge Hamlyn exceeds state sentencing guidelines.

A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled, Hamlyn said, and will likely take place during the trial in order for Higgins' testimony to be factored in to the judge's decision.

Attorney Michael Naughton, who represents Higgins, declined to comment — as did William Rollstin, who was in court on behalf of the state Attorney General's office.

Higgins is currently out on bond and his bond was continued Wednesday.