By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Pew PatriotsPew PatriotsPew Patriots
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
  • Home
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Guns and Gear
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
Reading: Veteran gets life sentence for plotting FBI attack after Jan. 6 arrest
Share
Font ResizerAa
Pew PatriotsPew Patriots
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Guns and Gear
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
Search
  • Home
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Guns and Gear
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
Veteran gets life sentence for plotting FBI attack after Jan. 6 arrest
Tactical

Veteran gets life sentence for plotting FBI attack after Jan. 6 arrest

Jimmie Dempsey
Last updated: July 2, 2025 11:14 pm
Jimmie Dempsey Published July 2, 2025
Share
SHARE

A military veteran was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for plotting to attack an FBI office and assassinate law enforcement officers in retaliation for his arrest on charges that he was part of the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, court records show.

Edward Kelley was one of the first rioters to breach the Capitol. Nearly two years later, Kelley made plans with another man to attack the FBI office in Knoxville, Tennessee, using improvised explosive devices attached to vehicles and drones, according to prosecutors.

Last November, a jury convicted Kelley of conspiring to murder federal employees, solicitation to commit a crime of violence and influencing federal officials by threat.

Kelley, 36, received a pardon from President Donald Trump for his Jan. 6 convictions, but a judge agreed with prosecutors that Trump’s action did not extend to Kelley’s Tennessee case. That makes Kelley, who is from Maryvale, Tennessee, one of only a few Capitol riot defendants remaining in prison after the Republican president’s sweeping act of clemency.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Varlan handed down Kelley’s life sentence during a hearing in Knoxville, according to court records. The judge denied a request for Kelley to be released pending the outcome of an appeal.

Prosecutors had recommended a life sentence for Kelley, saying he was remorseless and incapable of rehabilitation.

“On the contrary, Kelley not only believes the actions for which he was convicted were justified but that his duty as a self-styled ‘patriot’ compelled him to target East Tennessee law enforcement for assassination,” they wrote.

Kelley served in the Marine Corps for eight years. He was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan before his 2015 discharge from the military.

On Jan. 6, 2021, Kelley was captured on video helping two other rioters throw a Capitol Police officer onto the ground and using a piece of wood to damage a window, according to the FBI. He was the fourth person to enter the Capitol through a broken window, the FBI said.

After a trial without a jury, a federal judge in Washington convicted Kelley last November of 11 counts stemming from the riot. Before Kelley could be sentenced, Trump pardoned him and hundreds of other convicted Capitol rioters.

Kelley argued that his pardon was broad enough to cover his conduct in the Tennessee case, but the judge disagreed. Varlan said Kelley’s crimes in the Tennessee case were separated from Kelley’s conduct on Jan. 6 “by years and miles.” Prosecutors reached the same conclusion.

In other Jan. 6 cases, however, Trump’s Justice Department has argued that the pardons apply to separate convictions. For instance, prosecutors concluded that a Kentucky man’s pardon for storming the Capitol also covered his conviction for illegally possessing guns when FBI agents searched his home for the Jan. 6 investigation.

Kelley has been jailed since December 2022. His lawyer, Mark Brown, said Kelley did not hurt anybody or directly threaten anybody with violence. Brown urged the judge to reject prosecutors’ request to apply a “terrorism enhancement” in calculating his client’s sentence.

“Kelley does not deserve the same sentence as an actual ‘terrorist’ who injured or killed hundreds or thousands of America citizens,” Brown wrote.

Kelley’s co-defendant, Austin Carter, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in January 2024. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 4.

Kelley created a list of 36 law enforcement officers to target for assassination and shared it with Carter, calling it their first “mission,” according to prosecutors. All the officers were involved in Kelley’s May 2022 arrest on Capitol riot charges and the FBI’s search of his home.

“The proof at trial established that Kelley targeted law enforcement because of their anticipated role in the civil war that Kelley hoped to initiate and because of his animus towards those who participated in his May 2022 arrest and search of his home,” prosecutors wrote.

Kelley, Carter and a third man used an encrypted messaging platform to discuss plans, prosecutors said. Carter testified that he met with Kelley to conduct military-style training in November 2022.

“Carter’s testimony was unequivocal — he had no doubts that, had he and Kelley not been arrested, the law enforcement personnel included on Kelley’s list would have been murdered,” prosecutors wrote.

Kelley’s attorney said the case involved “little to no planning.”

“Discussions did not lead to action,” Brown wrote. ”And while people may not like what Mr. Kelley had to say, he stands behind his position that he has a First Amendment right to free speech.”

Read the full article here

You Might Also Like

First Look: ATN Tico LTV 640 Thermal Sight

Top 8 Best Compact Handguns for Everyday Carry in 2025

Shot Show 2025 Editor’s Picks: Day One

Army to competitively develop Next-Gen Command-and-Control prototype

MIM Myths

Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Email Print
Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

We Recommend
At least 2 dead, 43 missing after ferry sinks near Bali
News

At least 2 dead, 43 missing after ferry sinks near Bali

Jimmie Dempsey Jimmie Dempsey July 3, 2025
CBS anchor claims Paramount settlement with Trump poses ‘new obstacles’ for journalists at the network
Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani to captain star-studded MLB All-Star lineups after starters are revealed
Court approves settlement after North Carolina student suspended for ‘illegal aliens’ comment
New Tennessee law will suspend driver’s license of teens found guilty of bullying
Honolulu water agency sues US Navy over Red Hill fuel spill damage
23+1? SIG’s New GTO Might Be the Hardest-Hitting Pistol Yet
TacticalVideos

23+1? SIG’s New GTO Might Be the Hardest-Hitting Pistol Yet

Line45 Line45 July 2, 2025
California man allegedly crafted assassination list targeting federal officials in White supremacist plot
News

California man allegedly crafted assassination list targeting federal officials in White supremacist plot

Jimmie Dempsey Jimmie Dempsey July 2, 2025
US Halting Some Weapons Shipments To Ukraine As Own Military Stockpiles Plummet
Prepping & Survival

US Halting Some Weapons Shipments To Ukraine As Own Military Stockpiles Plummet

Jimmie Dempsey Jimmie Dempsey July 2, 2025
Pew Patriots
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
  • Guns and Gear
2024 © Pew Patriots. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?