Edward Kelley Gets Life Sentence After FBI Conspiracy \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Edward Kelley, a Marine Corps veteran and early Jan. 6 rioter, received a life sentence after being convicted of plotting to bomb the Knoxville FBI office and targeting law enforcement officers. Despite receiving a presidential pardon for his Capitol attack convictions, the pardon didn’t cover his later violent actions in Tennessee. Prosecutors highlighted that Kelley showed no remorse, maintaining his plans were “justified” and “patriotic.”
Quick Looks
- Edward Kelley, a Jan. 6 rioter, sentenced to life
- Convicted of plotting an FBI office attack with explosives
- Pardoned by Trump for Capitol charges, but not Tennessee ones
- Prosecutors cited Kelley’s lack of remorse and intent to kill
- Judge denied release pending appeal and applied no pardon
- Kelley made a target list of 36 officers for assassination
- Co-defendant Carter pleaded guilty; sentencing set for August
- FBI cited encrypted chats and military-style training sessions
Deep Look
Edward Kelley, a former Marine and one of the earliest rioters to breach the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, was sentenced to life in prison for plotting a deadly retaliation against federal authorities. The case, culminating in a life sentence handed down in a Knoxville, Tennessee, courtroom, has drawn national attention for its blend of post-Capitol riot extremism, federal defiance, and the limits of presidential pardons.
The sentencing followed Kelley’s conviction in November 2023 on multiple serious federal charges, including conspiring to murder federal officials, soliciting acts of violence, and threatening government agents. Kelley, from Maryvale, Tennessee, allegedly targeted FBI personnel and local law enforcement officers in what prosecutors described as a meticulously crafted plot to carry out political violence in retaliation for his earlier arrest.
The evidence revealed Kelley was not only unrepentant but committed to escalating his anti-government actions. According to court documents, Kelley planned to use improvised explosive devices (IEDs), attach them to vehicles and drones, and target FBI facilities. The plot extended beyond property damage — it included assassination plans against 36 law enforcement officers involved in his May 2022 arrest.
While Kelley had previously benefited from a controversial presidential pardon by Donald Trump for his Capitol riot charges, that pardon did not cover the charges related to the Tennessee plot. U.S. District Judge Thomas Varlan, who presided over both cases, ruled that the crimes committed in Tennessee were distinct from those on January 6, separated not only by time and geography but also by criminal intent. The judge noted that Kelley’s conspiracy emerged more than a year after the Capitol riot, involving separate conduct with new co-conspirators.
In sharp contrast to the clemency extended by Trump, prosecutors painted Kelley as a dangerous extremist. “Kelley not only believes the actions for which he was convicted were justified,” they wrote, “but his self-styled role as a ‘patriot’ compelled him to target East Tennessee law enforcement for assassination.” The court agreed with that framing, emphasizing Kelley’s continued commitment to political violence and his inability to rehabilitate.
A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, Kelley served two combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before his discharge in 2015. His transformation from decorated service member to convicted domestic terrorist raises disturbing questions about radicalization among veterans. In the Capitol riot, Kelley was filmed helping others assault a police officer and damaging property with a wooden plank. He was among the first wave of rioters to climb through a shattered Capitol window.
Before his Tennessee sentencing, Kelley had been convicted of 11 charges related to January 6 in a non-jury bench trial in Washington, D.C. But he was never sentenced for those crimes. Trump’s blanket pardon for Capitol participants halted sentencing in that case. However, when Kelley argued that the pardon also shielded him from prosecution for his Tennessee conspiracy, the court firmly rejected the claim. Prosecutors stressed that Kelley’s Tennessee plot represented an entirely new set of criminal acts, rooted in a separate timeline, and directed at different targets.
Kelley’s legal team sought leniency, arguing that his actions amounted to dangerous talk rather than executable plans. His defense lawyer, Mark Brown, claimed there was “little to no planning” and no physical harm inflicted. Brown contested the application of a terrorism enhancement, arguing Kelley’s case did not compare to that of an actual terrorist who causes mass casualties. “Mr. Kelley should not receive the same sentence as a terrorist who injured or killed hundreds,” Brown stated in a sentencing brief.
But the court disagreed. Prosecutors presented evidence that Kelley had assembled a list of 36 law enforcement officials—agents and officers who participated in his 2022 arrest—and declared them targets. He referred to the list as their first “mission” and shared it with Austin Carter, his co-defendant. The two men, along with a third unnamed conspirator, used encrypted messaging apps to discuss their plans. Carter testified at trial that he and Kelley engaged in military-style training in November 2022, preparing for what they viewed as the launch of a broader civil war.
Carter’s testimony played a central role in securing Kelley’s conviction. He told jurors that if they had not been arrested in December 2022, they likely would have carried out the planned assassinations. “There is no doubt,” Carter said on the stand, “that the officers on the list would have been killed.”
Despite the damning testimony, Kelley insisted that his speech was constitutionally protected. “While people may not like what Mr. Kelley had to say,” Brown wrote in court filings, “he stands behind his position that he has a First Amendment right to free speech.”
Kelley has been held in federal custody since his arrest in December 2022. His co-conspirator, Austin Carter, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in January 2024 and is scheduled for sentencing on August 4. Prosecutors have not disclosed the identity or legal status of the third man involved.
The case marks one of the harshest sentences imposed on a Capitol rioter or anyone connected to post-riot retaliation plots. It illustrates how the ripple effects of January 6 continue to unfold in the U.S. justice system, revealing evolving threats from domestic actors who remain radicalized years after the insurrection. Kelley’s sentence is expected to serve as a warning to others who might seek to translate political grievance into violent action.
As of mid-2025, Kelley is one of the few Jan. 6 defendants still incarcerated, and among the even smaller number to face life in prison. His case may also serve as a legal precedent clarifying the limits of presidential pardons, especially when new and distinct federal crimes arise after clemency is granted.
Edward Kelley Gets
You must Register or Login to post a comment.