WASHINGTON D.C., DC — U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly suggested on Thursday, March 23, prosecutors in the Eastern District of Tennessee and the District of Columbia work out a "global resolution" to resolve Edward Kelley's charges in both districts.
Kelley, from Maryville, was charged with entering the Capitol on Jan. 6 and assaulting, resisting or impeding officers. Government evidence shows Kelley was the fourth person to enter the Senate wing of the Capitol.
In December 2022, federal prosecutors in Tennessee charged Kelley with conspiring to retaliate against a federal official. Prosecutors charged Austin Carter, a Knoxville man, along with Kelley for the conspiracy.
Court documents allege Kelley and Carter took part in conversations to kill federal agents who investigated him for the alleged Jan. 6 crimes and threatened to attack the FBI's Knoxville field office.
On Thursday, Judge Kollar-Kotelly asked Kelley's defense attorneys if they were offered a plea deal in Tennessee. Lawyers said they hadn't gotten that far yet.
Those attorneys said they received four terabytes of data in discovery from prosecutors in the case in the Eastern District of Tennessee.
Judge Kollar-Kotelly said she thinks a global resolution could be "explored," to resolve both the cases in the Eastern District of Tennessee and D.C. at once.