Public January 6 profile · ready to claim
Christopher M. Kelly
Pardoned January 6 defendant
Documented editorial-use imageChristopher M. Kelly is a New York man whose January 6 case the government dropped for lack of evidence, the first such dismissal in the country. FACT: The original complaint alleged obstruction of an official proceeding, aiding and abetting, unlawful entry to a restricted building, and violent entry and disorderly conduct. Those were allegations only. None were ever proven in court. (DOJ charging documents) The receipts here matter. The only known photos of Kelly from that day showed him outside the building. There was no cell-site data putting his phone inside, no photo of him within the Capitol, and no direct proof he breached it. The case was built on a tip that he had posted about the day on Facebook, and it did not hold up under scrutiny. (Newsweek; emptywheel; NBC New York) FACT: On June 1, 2021, a federal judge granted the government's own motion to dismiss the charges against Christopher Kelly, just five months after his arrest. He had been released on personal recognizance and never spent the case behind bars. (court record) NEEDS AUTHENTICATION: Kelly's current occupation and any public comment from him on the case have not surfaced in the reporting reviewed for this profile. WHERE THINGS STAND: Charged, never tried, case dismissed by the government's own motion. Kelly's file stands as an early reminder that a charge is an accusation, not a verdict, and this one was withdrawn by the prosecutors who brought it. CASE RECORD United States v. Christopher M. Kelly, No. 1:21-mj-128, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Arrested January 20, 2021. Initial appearance February 9, 2021. Case dismissed June 1, 2021. Kelly's dismissal came faster than almost any other January 6 case on record, a five-month span from arrest to the government's own motion to drop it, underscoring how thin the original tip-based case against him was. This profile is unclaimed. If this is you, or your family, claiming it is free, forever.
The case file
On the record
- Case number
- 1:21-mj-128
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- Disposition
- Arrested 1/20/21. Initial appearance held 2/9/21. Defendant placed on personal recognizance. Case dismissed 6/1/21.
- Arrested
- January 20, 2021
Charges
- Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Aiding and Abetting; Unlawful Entry to Restricted Building or Grounds; Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct
Press & news
- https://www.newsweek.com/capitol-rioter-case-believed-first-dropped-doj-1597011 →
- https://www.emptywheel.net/2021/06/01/government-moves-to-dismiss-christopher-kelly-charges/ →
- https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/feds-seek-to-drop-u-s-capitol-riot-case-against-ny-man-due-to-lack-of-evidence/3084584/ →
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/defendants/kelly-christopher-m →
Public knowledge · no paywall
This profile is free for anyone to read.
Sign-in is only required to claim ownership, manage a claimed profile, or suggest a factual correction. Reading and sharing the public record never requires an account.
A free account is required for either action so submissions remain tied to a real person and can be reviewed.
Tap how this hits you — no signup, everyone sees the count
Connection to United States v. Nichols
Christopher M. Kelly appears in the record of United States v. Nichols. The full case — timeline, people, documents — is public and free.
Walk the whole case →Evidence on file
No scans linked yet
No scans linked to this entry yet. Curating is ongoing — check back.