KENT COUNTY, Michigan - A former airplane mechanic has been sentenced to more than six years in prison for plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in response to the state's COVID-19 restrictions.

Authorities say 25-year-old Ty Garbin was part of a group of more than a dozen men accused of involvement in the plot. 

In 2020, Governor Whitmer implemented COVID restrictions to curb the spread of COVID, some of the virus-related rules have since been lifted.

The COVID regulations did not sit well with Garbin and his companions, some of which are members of a Michigan-based anti-government paramilitary group. 

Garbin reportedly became frustrated with the restrictions after losing income in his job as an aviation mechanic.

ABC News says in addition to kidnapping Governor Whitmer in 2020, the group Garbin associated with also planned a paramilitary operation that included sinister plots to execute government officials, storm the Capitol building with explosives and send bombs codenamed "cupcakes."

The men were apprehended by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in October. 

Six members of the group were charged in federal court and Garbin is the only one that pleaded guilty.

The other seven face charges of terrorism and gang-related offenses in state court.

Garbin was sentenced Wednesday and ordered to pay a $2,500. In addition to this, after serving his six-year sentence, the 25-year-old will serve three years of supervised release. He is also required to seek substance abuse treatment and all computer use must be approved. 

Garbin's attorney says prior to the kidnapping plot, he did not have a criminal record prior, but suffered psychological, physical and emotional abuse by his father all his life, which predisposed him to "becoming swept up in a group such as that charged in the current indictment."

He signed a plea agreement and described the group's plot in detail.

According to Garbin,  six men trained at his house and said they built a "shoot house" that looked like the governor's holiday home. He said they used the structure to practice carrying out their armed attack. 

On Wednesday, Garbin apologized to Governor Whitmer for the "stress and fear" her family felt.

The Governor says she is still verbally attacked and threatened by certain individuals and groups. 

"I have looked out my windows and seen large groups of heavily armed people within 30 yards of my home. I have seen myself hung in effigy. Days ago at a demonstration, there was a sign that called for 'burning the witch," Whitmer said.

Michigan is currently reporting 5,002 new COVID cases and a total of 1.05 million virus cases since the pandemic began. 

While Michigan's local government strongly recommends masking up, state officials are leaving the option of mandating masks up to individual businesses, universities, and other entities.