Former Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Sentenced To Prison On January 6th Charges

Ryan Kelley, a former Republican gubernatorial candidate in Michigan was sentenced to 60 days in prison on Tuesday for committing a federal crime during the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Kelley, who was arrested during the Michigan gubernatorial primary in 2022, pleaded guilty this July to a misdemeanor count of entering and remaining on restricted grounds, admitting he "rushed past U.S. Capitol police officers" and "used his hands to support another rioter who was pulling a metal bike rack onto the scaffolding."

Several months before his guilty plea, Kelley posted on social media that the Capitol riot was an FBI “set up." His campaign posted the words “political prisoner” on Facebook after his June 2022 arrest.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper told Kelley that he misused his platform as a candidate for public office by promoting lies about election fraud, including the baseless claim that January 6th was somehow part of an FBI plot.

“A lot of folks voted for you. A lot of folks followed you,” Cooper said before sentencing Kelley to 60 days of imprisonment and ordering him to pay a $5,000 fine.