Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to dismiss charges against a New York man accused of taking part in the January 6 Capitol riot, the first such case to be dropped after the Justice Department came up short on evidence.
The DOJ filed a motion to dismiss the case on Tuesday, with assistant US attorney Tejpal Chawla asking the court to drop a criminal complaint against Christopher Kelly of New York City after no evidence turned up that the accused had entered the Capitol building.
“The government and defense counsel have discussed the merits of the case, and upon reflection of the facts currently known to the government, the government believes that dismissal without prejudice at this time serves the interests of justice,” the prosecutor wrote…
Investigations into the riot have hit snags before, however, with the DOJ forced to backtrack after a federal prosecutor in Arizona claimed that rioters planned to “capture and assassinate” government officials in January. The explosive comments made headlines, but were later brushed aside by the acting US attorney in Washington, DC, who said no evidence of such a plot was ever uncovered. Read more…