The FBI searched a Detroit home after receiving threats against the judge and two defense attorneys involved in the conspiracy trial of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s kidnapping.
Chief US District Judge Robert Jonker, along with attorneys Josh Blanchard and Christopher Gibbons, have received death threats for their participation in the high-profile trial, which has just entered its third week.
The threats led FBI agents to a home in Hazel Park, south of town, which was raided Friday.
Jonker, 62, is the presiding judge in the trial, with attorney’s Blanchard and Gibbons representing the accused conspiracy ringleaders – Barry Croft and Adam Fox – who face life imprisonment if convicted of kidnapping conspiracy.
Death threats were directed at Chief US District Judge Robert Jonker
Jonker has been on the Bundesbank since 2007 after being nominated by President George W. Bush.
The raid raised questions about the safety of those involved in the high-profile prosecution.
“Unfortunately, it’s become far too commonplace in today’s society,” Detroit defense attorney Michael Bullotta, a former federal prosecutor, told the Detroit News. “It comes with the territory in a high-profile case.”
Bullotta says he doesn’t think it will do much overall “because we keep hearing about death threats.”
“I feel that in many ways, defense attorneys are more vulnerable to threats and violence in the criminal justice system because they don’t have the protection and support of law enforcement. To the extent that they represent dangerous and violent people, these clients expect certain things to happen in their favor. And if those things don’t happen, they can blame the defenders,” Bullotta explained.
Whitmer, a Democrat, rarely speaks publicly about the case. She has accused former President Donald Trump of stoking anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to convict far-right extremists like those accused in the case
“The FBI Detroit will work closely with other FBI field offices and with our law enforcement partners across the country to identify the source of any threat that exists against anyone involved in ongoing law enforcement in Grand Rapids,” FBI spokeswoman Mara Schneider said in a statement Explanation.
“Anyone found responsible for threats that violate state and/or federal law will be referred to the appropriate jurisdiction for prosecution.”
It is not known whether new security measures were taken in response to the threats against the judge or the defense attorneys.
The judge was so concerned about safety that he made sure the jurors’ names were kept from the public.
“I want jurors in court to be identified solely by number to give them greater confidence that their privacy will not be unduly violated during the trial,” Jonker said.
Described as leaders of the group’s plans, Adam Fox (left) and Barry Croft Jr. (right), two defense attorneys, received death threats
Federal prosecutors are ready to close their case on Wednesday, day 13 of the trial in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
They attempt in the final phase to show that the men accused of conspiring to kidnap Whitmer were firmly committed to a plan uninfluenced by whistleblowers or undercover FBI agents.
Barry Croft Jr., a 46-year-old trucker from Bear, Delaware, regularly took to Facebook about government officials in 2020, as governors issued stay-at-home orders, required masks and set other rules early in the pandemic.
“Which governor will end up being kidnapped first and hanged for treason?” Croft wrote on Memorial Day 2020. “It’s really a spin-the-bottle match at this point and I’m sure there are a few mayors in the running !!! God bless the constitutional republic!!!’
A few days later, Croft wrote about seizing state capitols and “putting here the addresses of these tyrants for rioters.”
The FBI said the message was “liked” by Fox on Facebook.
Defense attorneys deny there was an actual plan to nab Whitmer, claiming the men were enticed by agents and whistleblowers and engaged in wild conversations while smoking marijuana.
Men carry rifles near the steps of the State Capitol building in Lansing, Michigan April 2020. Whitmer was one of the more high-profile targets of political violence when prosecutors said a group of men angry about pandemic restrictions planned to target her kidnap But the case didn’t surprise many lawmakers or those who track such attacks
Attorney Joshua Blanchard has accused the FBI of targeting Croft because agents didn’t like his strident views. He was referring to a meme Croft posted about ammo with the message, “Oh look, 30 votes count.”
“A little tongue in cheek? A little funny?’ Blanchard asked FBI agent Thomas Szymanski.
“I didn’t laugh when I saw this meme,” the agent replied.
Whitmer, a Democrat, rarely speaks publicly about the kidnapping plan, although during her tenure she referred to “surprises” that seem like “something out of fiction” when she ran for re-election on March 17.
She has accused former President Donald Trump of stoking anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to convict far-right extremists like those accused in the case.
Whitmer said Trump was involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.