A federal judge has ordered a trial for a former Michigan Republican candidate for governor charged for his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol.
Ryan Kelley, a real estate agent and conservative social media personality who finished fourth in the GOP gubernatorial primary in August, will stand trial starting July 31, in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered Wednesday.
Kelley is facing four misdemeanor charges: entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, disorderly and disruptive conduct, knowingly engaging in an act of physical violence against a person or property, and willfully injuring property, according to a criminal complaint.
He previously entered not-guilty pleas for all four charges, through an attorney. Kelley was arrested last June in the middle of his candidacy during an FBI raid of his family’s home in Ottawa County. Generally, all of those misdemeanors carry penalties of up to one year in prison and fines of up to $100,000 on each charge.
Kelley’s attorney, Gary Springstead, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Kelley previously declined to identify himself in videos of the riots at the Capitol, according to deposition testimony gathered by the now-disbanded U.S. House committee tasked with investigating the event and its causes.