DETROIT (AP) — A state appeals court on Monday set aside convictions for two men involved in a 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Pete Musico and Paul Bellar were convicted of providing material support for an act of terrorism. They, along with co-defendant Joe Morrison, were accused of having secondary roles in the scheme.
Morrison's conviction was thrown out in June in a precedent-setting decision. A different panel at the Michigan Court of Appeals said it was obligated to apply that ruling to Musico and Bellar as well.
The convictions were overturned on technical grounds. The appeals court said kidnapping is not an underlying violent felony that can support a conviction under Michigan’s terrorism law.
Attorney General Dana Nessel called it “linguistic gymnastics” and said she would ask the Michigan Supreme Court to take up the cases.
Morrison, Musico and Bellar were not charged with having a direct role in the plot to kidnap Whitmer. Bellar had moved out of state weeks before the FBI made arrests in October 2020, and Morrison and Musico said they, too, were no longer in contact with key figures.
But they had been members of a paramilitary group that earlier trained with Adam Fox, who was prosecuted in federal court as a leader and is serving a 16-year prison sentence for conspiracy.
As part of the plot, Whitmer was supposed to be kidnapped her from her vacation home just before the 2020 presidential election. Prosecutors said the conspirators were furious over tough COVID-19 restrictions that Whitmer and officials in other states had put in place during the early months of the pandemic, as well as perceived threats to gun ownership.
Whitmer, a Democrat, was never physically harmed. Undercover FBI agents and informants were inside Fox’s group for months, and the scheme was broken up.
The overall investigation, however, produced mixed results for state and federal prosecutors. Five of the 14 men were acquitted at trials.
FILE - Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers the State of the State address at the Michigan state Capitol in Lansing, Mich., Feb. 25, 2026. (Devin Anderson-Torrez/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP, File)
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 21, 2026--
Angeles Equity Partners, LLC (“Angeles”), a private investment firm that partners with niche manufacturing, critical industrial services, and specialty distribution businesses in order to realize their full potential, announced Kyle Huffman has joined the Angeles Operations Group as vice president, finance. Huffman brings 13 years of finance and accounting leadership experience in public and private companies spanning private equity operations, public-company readiness, transaction diligence, and operational finance transformation.
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Angeles focuses on optimizing the performance of industrial businesses with a consistent approach to operational transformation and strategic repositioning. As a vice president in Angeles' operations group, Huffman will partner with portfolio company leadership teams to help build scalable finance organizations, improve cash generation, support acquisitions, and strengthen financial performance. His unique combination of public accounting, corporate finance leadership, private equity operations, and IPO readiness experience further expands the firm's operational capabilities.
"Kyle brings the finance leadership our portfolio companies need during periods of operational and financial transformation,” said Tim Meyer and Jordan Katz, co-founders and managing partners of Angeles Equity Partners. “He has a proven track record of building high-performing finance organizations that help companies scale and improve performance. His experience leading finance transformations, supporting transactions, and improving operational performance will be valuable to our portfolio leadership teams as they execute their growth strategies."
Before joining Angeles Operations Group, Huffman served as Chief Accounting Officer at Elauwit Connection, where he built the finance organization and reporting infrastructure that supported the company's successful IPO in 2025. Previously, he was a member of the operations team at MiddleGround Capital, partnering with portfolio companies on finance transformation initiatives and acquisition diligence. Earlier, he held senior finance leadership positions with SPAN.IO and The Andersons and began his career in Ernst & Young's Assurance practice. Huffman is a Certified Public Accountant who holds a Master of Accountancy from Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor of Science in Finance, with a minor in Economics from Taylor University.
"I am excited to join the Angeles platform, working alongside the talented investment and operations team to help our portfolio companies build finance organizations that support better decision-making, allocate capital effectively, and support sustainable growth," Huffman added.
About Angeles Equity Partners, LLC
Angeles Equity Partners, LLC is a Los Angeles-based specialist private investment firm that partners with niche manufacturing, critical industrial services, and specialty distribution businesses in order to realize their full potential. Angeles’ expertise in operational transformation and strategic repositioning drives the firm’s investment philosophy. Learn more online at www.angelesequity.com.
Kyle Huffman, Angeles Operations Group, Vice President, Finance
