On Tuesday, a former Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate was sentenced to prison over his participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Ryan Kelley was sentenced to 60 days in prison after pleading guilty to one charge of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds.
The judge lectured Kelley at a hearing before handing down the sentence, saying, according to the Associated Press, that Kelley used his elevated profile amid his gubernatorial campaign to spread inaccurate information about the riot, including that it was an FBI “setup.”
“A lot of folks voted for you. A lot of folks followed you,” U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said during the hearing.
According to The Washington Examiner, Kelley’s defense team asked only for probation, emphasizing that Kelley, 42, was married with six children and had no criminal past.
“Mr. Kelley has accepted responsibility not only with the Court, but has also taken it upon himself to explain his wrongdoings and the potential consequences to his family,” his lawyers wrote. “Mr. Kelley understands and appreciates that he never should have participated in the protests that turned into a riot that day and that such violence has no place in our democracy.”
They noted that Kelley’s actions at the riot were nonviolent and that his therefore “limited role” that day warranted probation without incarceration.
Kelley is one of more than 1,100 defendants who have been charged in connection with Jan. 6 and one of more than 600 who have received sentences in their cases, according to Department of Justice data.
Earlier this week, the Justice Department announced it was appealing the sentences of five Proud Boys members.
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