KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On Nov. 7, Austin Carter, 26, entered a plea agreement in court admitting to a plot to attack a Federal Bureau of Investigation Field Office in Knoxville and kill FBI agents. He admitted to working with Edward Kelley, 33, from Maryville, on the conspiracy to "retaliate against government conduct."
Kelley previously entered a routine not-guilty plan in January, after he was indicted by an East Tennessee grand jury. He alone faces federal counts of solicitation to commit a crime of violence and influencing a federal official by threat.
According to the plea agreement, Carter admitted that he, Kelley, and a "cooperating witness" who remained unidentified in court documents, discussed collecting information and plans to kill FBI employees.
"The information that the FBI gets is from somebody who either is a part of it or has gotten the disclosures of the plan," said M. Quentin Williams, a former FBI agent. "Many times, there's leverage against that person, like they're going to go to prison or jail. And because of that, they cut a deal with the federal government and say, 'Well, I'll tell you something, if you give me some slack on your prosecution.'"
Carter admitted he provided the "cooperating witness" with a list of FBI employees he received from Kelley and instructed the witness to memorize and then burn the list. On Dec. 14, 2022, Carter and Kelley "discussed plans to attack the FBI field office in Knoxville, Tennessee," according to the agreement.
Federal authorities portray Kelley as the leader of the conspiracy, according to previous reporting by WBIR. The bid to kill the federal agents stems from his arrest for taking part in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, prosecutors allege.
The plea agreement said Carter received a list of FBI employees from Kelley and provided them to the cooperating witness around Dec. 13, 2022. Then, on Dec. 14, the plea agreement said Kelley and Carter discussed plans to attack the FBI Field Office in Knoxville.
"It happens with law enforcement officers, whether you're a federal agent or local, the threat is always there," said Wulliams. "You never know if today's your day. And unfortunately, that's a part of the job description."
Kelley separately is facing prosecution in Washington, D.C. on a slew of counts after authorities accused him of participating in the Jan. 6 riot. The counts include assaulting or impeding an officer and violent entry of the Capitol.
Williams said perpetrators like Carter usually try to gather details of employees while plotting.
"They blend in with your non-FBI agent public. And so, there isn't the same level of security at their homes as there is at work. So, there is opportunity," he said.
Kelley faces a jury trial in the conspiracy case in January, according to reports from NBC. A separate status conference for his role on Jan. 6, 2021, is set for December.
"We've seen it for many years, prior to Jan. 6, but now it seems like there's an added segment of society that holds that resentment and that's very concerning," said Williams.
The plea agreement said that prosecutors believed Carter's sentence should not exceed ten years. His "conspiracy to murder employees of the U.S." charge usually carries a possible sentence of up to life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the agreement.