Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 35
- Location
- Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Charges
- Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Entering and Remaining on the Floor of Congress; Entering and Remaining in Certain Rooms in the Capitol Building; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Convicted; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Soon after the Capitol riot, Leo Christopher Kelly gave a video interview to LifeSiteNews, a news site founded by an anti-abortion group. Federal prosecutors now cite that interview in their criminal case against Kelly. Kelly told LifeSiteNews that he came to Washington, D.C., from Iowa by himself, watched the president's speech and then walked over to the Capitol. "I wanted to see what was going on," he said. Kelly said he saw the crowd pushing into the Capitol and thought to himself, "This is a moment in U.S. history that, like, it's not unlike the days of the beginning of the country." And he said he decided to enter the Capitol too, in part because he got "swept up in a movement." "It's not the logical mind that's working anymore. You're just reacting to things," he said, adding that he was frustrated that Donald Trump's claims of voter fraud had been repeatedly rejected in court. "At some point, there's enough illegal behavior and there's enough crimes against the Constitution being committed by the elected officials that what are you supposed to do?" he said. "None of my institutions are working." Kelly said he was inside the Capitol for between 30 and 60 minutes, describing the scene as "absolute chaos." He said he entered the Senate floor and then joined other rioters in saying a prayer. In the interview, Kelly expressed uncertainty about consequences for entering the Capitol, saying, "God will judge us for what we did." Kelly was arrested on Jan. 18, 2021.
Case History
Kelly pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. In a Jury trial on 5/9/2023, he was found Guilty on all charges. Sentenced on 8/18/2023 to 30 months of incarceration; 36 months of supervised release; $190 special assessment; $5,000 fine; $2,000 fine. On 9/9/2024, the USCA vacated the Obstruction conviction. Resentenced on 12/10/2024 to time-served; 12 months of supervised release; restitution of $500; $5,000 fine; special assessment of $90. Kelly received a full pardon on January 20, 2025
Sources
- Primary Documentation
NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR - Primary Documentation
Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.