FBI agent in investigation of Whitmer kidnap plot is charged
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — An FBI agent who testified about an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is facing an assault charge, according to court records.
Richard Trask appeared in a Kalamazoo court Monday and was released. Online records show the alleged offense occurred Sunday.
The court file doesn’t list a defense attorney yet, according to the clerk’s office.
“In accordance with FBI policy, the incident is subject to internal review, and I cannot comment further at this time,” Detroit FBI spokeswoman Mara Schneider said.
Trask has provided details in federal court about an alleged scheme to kidnap Whitmer in retaliation for her orders last year meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
One man has pleaded guilty and roughly a dozen others are awaiting trial.
“It’s the last thing you want for a major case like this,” said Andy Arena, former head of the FBI office in Detroit. “Any time you give the defense any ammunition it’s not good.”
Trask can’t carry a gun while he’s out on bond, The Detroit News reported.
“If you can’t carry a weapon, then you’re not going to work as a street agent,” Arena told the newspaper. “He’s going to be suspended or put on restricted duty.”
‘White Boy Rick’ movie’s inspiration sues police for $100M
DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit-area man whose decades in prison for drug dealing and work as an informant inspired the movie “White Boy Rick” filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking $100 million, claiming he was coerced into assisting police while just a helpless teenager.
Richard Wershe Jr., 52, served roughly 30 years in prison in Michigan before his release in 2017, followed by a few more years in a Florida prison for an unrelated crime.
Wershe’s lawsuit in federal court in Detroit alleges that his troubles in the 1980s were related to the pressures of pleasing local police and federal agents who used him as an informant and repeatedly sent him into drug dens.
Wershe’s story was the basis of the 2018 film “White Boy Rick,” starring Matthew McConaughey and Richie Merritt. The title referred to Wershe’s nickname in his younger days, a nickname he dislikes.
His attorney, Nabih Ayad, acknowledged that Detroit and others named in the lawsuit will likely argue that Wershe’s constitutional claims are too old to bring to court.
“This is a unique case. ... Our Constitution, our justice system, and God-given right to all humanity calls on this court to finally bring justice to a man whose life has been taken from him at the tender age of 14 all the way up to 51 years of age,” the lawsuit states.
Detroit police spokesman Rudy Harper declined to comment, saying the department hasn’t seen the lawsuit.
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