A Capitol riot defendant has been hit with new criminal charges — and this time he's accused of plotting to kill the law enforcement officials who investigated him
John Minchillo/AP
- Additional charges have been filed against January 6 defendant Edward Kelley.
- A new court filing alleges Kelley obtained a list of over 35 law enforcement personnel who investigated him.
- Kelley then discussed plans to kill the officials with an acquaintance, the filing alleges.
A man already being investigated for his role in the January 6 riots has been hit with additional charges after being accused of planning to kill the law enforcement officers who investigated his case, according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Friday.
Tennessee resident Edward Kelley, 33, allegedly obtained a list of law enforcement officials and discussed plans, starting December 3, to kill these officials with Austin Carter, 26, and a witness who eventually reported their activities to authorities, the complaint says.
Kelley, who was one of the first people to enter the Capitol grounds on January 6, was previously charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, civil disorder, destruction of government property, and seven other charges for his role in the Capitol riot.
According to the complaint, a witness who was interviewed by the FBI said Kelley handed Carter an envelope with a document of the names, titles, and phone numbers of approximately 37 law enforcement officials who investigated him and were "present at arrest or home search" of Kelley on May 5, 2022.
The witness then met with Kelley and Carter on December 3 at a park in Maryville, Tennessee, where Kelley discussed plans with both Carter and the witness.
The witness said Kelley stated "with us being such a small group, we will mainly conduct recon missions and assassination missions," with one of these missions being an attack on Federal agents. Kelley also asked whether or not the witness owned firearms and said "we will do more long-distance things," which the witness believed to be a reference to assassinations.
The witness said Kelley asked them to "reach out to your cop buddies and see what information you can collect on the individuals on the list."
After the witness — an acquaintance of Kelley and Carter — gave law enforcement the letter on Tuesday, they began recording calls between the pair, who discussed plans to attack individuals at the FBI Field Office in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Kelley, over the phone, told the witness and Carter "once you guys have enough people ... you don't have time to train or coordinate, but every hit has to hurt, every hit has to hurt," the complaint stated.
Carter and Kelley have been charged with conspiracy, retaliating against a federal official, interstate communication of a threat, and solicitation to commit a crime of violence.
According to a statement from the Justice Department, both Kelley and Carter were detained and made their first scheduled appearance in federal court on Friday in Knoxville.
Marina Medvin, Kelley's attorney, who filed to withdraw from his case on Friday, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
On Thursday, three men received prison sentences — one for 12 years — after being found guilty for plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over COVID-19 health orders in 2020.
Earlier this year, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband was attacked by a man with a hammer who was reportedly searching for Pelosi. In recent years, Congressional lawmakers have reported an increase in threats to their life.
A man was also arrested near Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's house in June after plotting to kill him over upcoming decisions on abortion and gun rights.