- Prosecutors allege that a GOP Michigan gubernatorial candidate encouraged January 6 rioters.
- The Department of Justice accused Ryan Kelley of motioning for a mob to advance on the Capitol.
- FBI agents arrested Kelley at his home in western Michigan on Thursday morning.
Federal prosecutors allege that leading GOP Michigan gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley was caught on video encouraging a mob to advance on the US Capitol during the January 6, 2021 riots, according to court documents.
New filings from the Department of Justice accuse Kelley — who was arrested by the FBI on Thursday — of repeatedly gestured for a crowd to advance toward stairs that led to the entrance of the Capitol.
Court documents allege that at around 2 p.m. on the day of the deadly insurrection, Kelley waved at a crowd behind him to move closer to the Capitol building. By around 2:20 p.m., Kelley was still gesturing for the crowd to advance.
"Kelley continued to gesture to the crowd, consistently indicating that they should move towards the stairs that led to the entrance of the U.S. Capitol interior spaces," the documents allege.
As part of the court documents, prosecutors linked to photos and video taken during the riot, including a video by reporter Chuck Modi that shows a man identified by prosecutors as Kelley waving people forward on the Capitol steps.
—ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) January 6, 2021
Forty-year-old Kelley, a real estate broker, was arrested Thursday morning by FBI agents at his home in Allendale, in western Michigan, and accused of participating in the deadly insurrection.
According to The Detroit News, the arrest comes after Kelley was allegedly spotted at the Capitol riot.
Kelley — the leading GOP candidate for Michigan governor, according to a recent poll — faces charges including disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority.
His campaign did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
