Edward Kelley, Conspiracy, Retaliating Against a Federal Official, Tennessee 2024

A chilling plot to harm law enforcement personnel and the FBI’s Knoxville Field Office has been uncovered in Tennessee, resulting in the arrest of two men, Edward Kelley, 33, of Maryville, and Austin Carter, 26, of Knoxville. According to a criminal complaint unsealed today, Kelley and Carter are charged with conspiracy, retaliating against a federal official, interstate communication of a threat, and solicitation to commit a crime of violence.

Kelley, who is facing charges in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia related to his assault on a law enforcement officer during the breach of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, obtained a list of law enforcement personnel who participated in that criminal investigation. In conversations with a cooperating witness, Kelley and Carter discussed collecting information and plans to kill the individual law enforcement personnel on the list, which also included an attack on the FBI’s Knoxville Field Office.

The FBI is investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey Arrowood and Kyle Wilson for the Eastern District of Tennessee, along with Trial Attorneys David Smith and Jacob Warren of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, are prosecuting the case. Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Francis M. (Trey) Hamilton III for the Eastern District of Tennessee, and Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division made the announcement.

Kelley and Carter made their initial appearance in federal court today in Knoxville before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill E. McCook. Both defendants have been detained, with Carter having a detention hearing scheduled for December 21.

It is essential to note that a complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Defendant: Edward Kelley

Criminal Charges: Conspiracy, Retaliating Against a Federal Official, Interstate Communication of a Threat, and Solicitation to Commit a Crime of Violence

City and State: Knoxville, Tennessee

Exact Date: December 2023

Sentence or Outcome: Detained, with a detention hearing scheduled for December 21

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