Ryan Kelley is a Republican candidate for Michigan governor who was arrested and is accused of participating in the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol. You can see the government’s evidence, complaint, photos and videos throughout this story.
The U.S. Department of Justice says that Kelley was arrested on June 9, 2022. A complaint was filed.
The complaint charges Kelley with “Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority”; with “Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds”; “Knowingly Engage in any Act of Physical Violence Against Person or Property in any Restricted Building or Grounds”; and “Willfully injure or commit any Depredation Against any Property of the United States.” They are misdemeanor charges carrying maximum penalties of one year in prison each.
Read the government’s full statement of facts here.
Kelley posted a graphic on his Facebook page after his arrest that reads, “political prisoner.” Kelley is a married real estate broker with five children, according to his website.
According to CNN, Kelley is one of a “crowded field” of five Republicans seeking to replace Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The Detroit Free Press reported that, on June 9, 2022, the FBI raised Kelley’s Annandale home and arrested him.
Fellow Republican gubernatorial candidate Kevin Rinke questioned the timing of the arrest, coming on the first day of the January 6 hearings in Congress. “I respect Ryan Kelley and have met him out on the trail. My hope is that the FBI is acting appropriately, because the timing here raises serious questions. Praying for him and his family,” he tweeted.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. An Anonymous Tipster Told Authorities Kelley was Seen at the Capitol Helping ‘Push Past Police,’ the Government Alleges
DOJPost about Ryan Kelley
The FBI received “multiple tips” about Ryan Kelley’s “presence at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, ” the statement of facts reads.
On January 16, 2021, an anonymous tipster from Michigan “submitted an online tip to the FBI National Threat Operations Center (NTOC) via tips.fbi.gov, which identified that Ryan Kelley was at the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021,” the statement alleges.
The tipster “provided photos of who they believed was Ryan D. Kelley…at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The information provided by the tipster showed Kelley at the U.S. Capitol wearing a black coat, a backwards black baseball cap with a rectangular U.S. flag emblem above the bill, and aviator sunglasses,” the government contends.
DOJRyan Kelley is alleged to be in these photos.
“This anonymous tip contained the same information posted on the Twitter account ‘@MichiganTea’ in which the same or similar pictures were used to identify Kelley at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.”
The “Michigan Tea” post reads, “Meet Ryan D. Kelley, the confederate statue loving planning commission member of Allendale, Michigan. He is captured on video with (name redacted) helping push past police at the Capitol. Kelley is the co-founder of American Patriot Council. More info on Kelley below.” A post on January 19 read, “Everything has been submitted as tips to FBI.”
The FBI received additional tips about Kelley.
On January 19, 2021, an individual using the name Kate “called the FBI tip line and identified that they had seen Kelley of Allendale, Michigan in numerous pictures and videos from the January 6, 2021 event at the U.S. Capitol,” the statement of facts alleges.
DOJA picture of Ryan Kelley in the complaint
“On January 28, 2021, a Confidential Human Source (CHS1) that had been working with the FBI since 2020 to provide information about Domestic Terrorism groups in Michigan identified an individual in a publicly available news media video that they believed to be Kelley.”
The complaint alleges that Kelley is an appointed plan commission member, although the Detroit Free Press reported that he is no longer on that board.
The newspaper reported that, in June 2021, the Michigan Democratic Party “shared a video of Kelley outside the Capitol on Jan. 6 of that year. In the video, Kelley appears to shout: ‘Come on, let’s go! This is it! This is — this is war, baby!'”
2. The Government Assembled Photos & Video Evidence to Create a Timeline of Kelley at the Capitol
DOJDOJ photo
Based on the tips and information that had been provided, “law enforcement took additional steps to review available media in which the individual alleged to be Kelley appeared, in order to assemble a more complete record of that individual’s actions on January 6, 2021,” the statement of facts says.
DOJRyan Kelley complaint photo
The complaint also contains video evidence:
“To support this effort, the FBI employed the assistance of the Confidential Human Source referenced above (CHS1), because that Source had an extensive background in online research and data management.” The government compiled this
alleged timeline:
At approximately 1:30 p.m. on January 6, 2021, a video of the event that was posted online displays an individual wearing the aviator sunglasses and backwards black baseball cap at about the 7 minute, 9 second mark. This indicates that Kelley gathered near the entrance to the North Western scaffolding on the Western side of the U.S. Capitol…
While near the entrance to the North Western scaffolding on the Western side of the U.S. Capitol, which provided access to the stairs leading towards the entrance to the U.S. Capitol building, Kelley, the individual with a black coat, aviator sunglasses, and a red watch band, uses their phone to film the crowd assaulting and pushing past U.S. Capitol Police Officers.
3. Kelley Was ‘In a Crowd of People Who Are Assaulting & Pushing Past Law Enforcement Officers,’ the Department of Justice Alleged
DOJRyan Kelley complaint photo
The FBI’s timeline alleges that Kelley was in a crowd of people who were assaulting law enforcement officers.
“…a video which shows Kelley, wearing a black hat and a black coat, is in a crowd of people who are assaulting and pushing past law enforcement officers. The individual noted is pictured below near the center of the photo. The area of the U.S. Capitol shown in this image is marked with a red circle on the map,” the statement of facts alleges.
DOJRyan Kelley complaint photo
After “causing the U.S. Capitol Police officers to retreat, the crowd climbed the stairs towards the entrance to the interior of the U.S. Capitol,” the document says.
DOJRyan Kelley complaint photo
“At approximately 1:51 p.m., Kelley moved towards the side of the nearby stairs and began to climb onto an architectural feature next to those stairs.” The government accuses Kelley of climbing “near the scaffolding.”
DOJRyan Kelley complaitn photo
The government alleges, “Kelley remained standing on the architectural feature next to the North West stairs and, at approximately 2:05 p.m., used his hands to pull a covering off of a temporary structure that U.S. Capitol personnel had erected in support of a future planned event.”
DOJRyan Kelley complaint photo
The statement of facts continued, “At approximately 2:20 p.m., KELLEY continued to gesture to the crowd, consistently indicating that they should move towards the stairs that led to the entrance of the U.S. Capitol interior spaces,” says the statement of facts.
The FBI alleges that, “at approximately 2:25 p.m., the individual in the black hat uses his cell phone to take a picture of blood on an architectural feature at the U.S. Capitol Grounds.”
The timeline continues by accusing Kelley of entering the Capitol, saying, “Soon afterwards at about 2:29 p.m. the individual arrives at the top of the stairs and enters the U.S. Capitol’s North West Courtyard and uses their thumb to motion towards the doors to the interior of the U.S. Capitol Building.”
The complaint continues, “At approximately 3:26 p.m., the individual in the black hat is seen in the U.S. Capitol’s North West Courtyard. By this time, U.S. Capitol police had regained control of many parts of the interior of the U.S. Capitol building, and were instructing unauthorized persons to leave the area. This is the latest time at which this individual is noted.”
4. The Government Accuses Kelley of Wearing a Name Tag That Claimed COVID-19 Was ‘Made’ to ‘Control Your Minds’
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In May of 2020, Kelley “attended the American Patriot Council ‘Judgement Day’ rally in Lansing, Michigan. During that event, Kelley wore a backwards black hat, a blue shirt, and a black coat,” the complaint says.
The FBI claims some of “this attire” Kelley wore on January 6.
During that event, stated that “…the American Patriot Rally was organized with one thing in mind: to encourage the senate to vote no on extending [Governor] Whitmer’s emergency declaration, which they did. It was a victory….we got exactly what we came for,” the government notes.
In October of 2020, Kelley attended the “American Patriot Council Nationwide Freedom March” in Allendale, Michigan, and wore a blue shirt, black coat, watch with red watch band, and aviator sunglasses, some of which he wore at the U.S. Capitol grounds, according to the government.
In November of 2020, Kelley “was a featured speaker and introduced by name at a ‘Stop the Steal’ rally at the Michigan Capitol in Lansing. During that event, Kelley indicated that those attending the rally should stand and fight, with the goal of preventing Democrats from stealing the election,” the complaint notes.
“He gave a speech while wearing a name tag and stated ‘Covid-19 was made so that they can use the propaganda to control your minds so that you think, if you watch the media, that Joe Biden won this election. We’re not going to buy it. We’re going to stand and fight for America, for Donald Trump. We’re not going to let the Democrats steal this election.’”
He also posted on social media, writing, “Expose the corrupt Democrats and try them for treason! #justiceiscoming,” the complaint alleges.
In a television interview, Kelley spoke about being at the Capitol but denied going inside and refused to identify whether he was the individual in question, the government alleges.
The FBI also showed the photographic evidence to three people who know Kelley, including a law enforcement officer and public official, and they identified him, the government contends. The public official said he was not sure enough to testify, though, because he had never seen Kelley in a hat.
5. Kelley Led Anti-Lockdown Rallies & ‘Guarded a Civil War Statue,’ His Website Says
Kelley’s website describes him as having “lived in West Michigan for 35 years. He now resides in Allendale with his wife and 5 beautiful children.”
The website adds, “As a real estate broker, who owns his own firm, Ryan is a small business owner serving clients across Michigan. Ryan graduated from Jenison High School in 1999. He attended Grand Rapids Community College and worked on a degree in Electronics Engineering before starting to work for the CWA (Communication Workers of America) union at Ameritech, which later became SBC and now AT&T.”
The website describes how his family traveled “from coast to coast, living in their RV for five months” in 2019. He was appointed to the Allendale Township Planning Commission after the family returned to Michigan in 2019.
“As 2020 began, and the coronavirus topic began to invade every aspect of our lives, Ryan quickly became a voice of freedom, hope and reason for the state of Michigan,” the website says.
“Ryan led large rallies protesting the statewide lockdowns and mandates at the Capitol in Lansing and in Grand Rapids. The rally on April 30 th of 2020 in Lansing, organized by Ryan and one of his colleagues, was to encourage the state legislators not to extend the emergency powers of the governor beyond the specified time limit. This event inspired other frustrated Americans around the country to protest lockdowns in many states.”
The website continues:
Standing strong for American values and American history, is what Ryan is all about. During the riots which occurred across the United States in the summer of 2020, while exercising his 2nd Amendment rights, he guarded a Civil War Statue in his hometown of Allendale as it was threatened to be taken down by BLM and Antifa. The statue is still standing there today.
The website claims that “cancel culture quickly descended on Ryan, his family, business and township appointment.”
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