Key insider in Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot gets sentence break

A judge has slashed nearly four years off the prison sentence of a star witness in the plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor, assuring Ty Garbin soon will be free. Garbin’s sentence of 6 1/4 years was reduced to 2 1/2 years, a reward even greater than prosecutors had sought. Federal Judge Robert Jonker cited Garbin’s “substantial assistance” to the government and his own assessment of the 26-year-old airplane mechanic. Garbin cooperated soon after his arrest, pleaded guilty and testified at two trials. Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. were convicted of conspiracy. Two other men were acquitted last spring. A sixth man, Kaleb Franks, pleaded guilty but hasn't been sentenced yet.