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Former Michigan candidate for governor Ryan Kelley sentenced for Jan. 6 involvement

By and Jack Nissen
Published  October 17, 2023 5:39pm EDT
Capitol Riot
FOX 2 Detroit

Ryan Kelley sentenced for Jan. 6 involvement

Ryan Kelley, a former candidate for governor in Michigan who would later plead guilty to entering a restricted area without authority was sentenced to 60 days in federal prison.

(FOX 2) - Once a candidate for governor of Michigan, Ryan Kelley will now spend 60 days behind bars for his involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Kelley, 42, who positioned himself as a far-right candidate for office who railed against COVID-19 vaccine rules, pleaded guilty to entering a restricted area without authority earlier this year - a one-year federal misdemeanor. Kelley said he participated in the riot because he didn't agree with the outcome of the 2020 election.

He was sentenced to a federal prison on Tuesday.

"If you protest in a certain way or a certain thing, you’re going to go to jail," said attorney Nick Somberg. 

Somberg currently represents a defendant in the alleged fake elector scheme that also spawned out of the 2020 race. 

He said the charges related to Jan. 6 are politically motivated. "Most of these people shouldn’t even have been charged."

So far, 1,100 people across the county have been charged with various crimes related to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. 

Before he ran for governor, Kelley was a conservative activist and real estate broker.