Louisiana Man Indicted for Assaulting and Threatening Federal Officers

Baton Rouge, Louisiana – On September 1, 2022, the Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Louisiana reported that Keshawn Kelly, age 19, a resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was charged on August 26, 2022, in a two-count indictment by a federal grand jury with influencing federal officials by threat in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 115(a)(1)(B), and assaulting federal officers in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

Kelly, according to the indictment, assaulted and threatened multiple members of the United States Department of Veteran’s Affairs Police. Kelly faces up to six years in prison, a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release following any period of imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee if he is found guilty of threatening federal officers. The maximum penalty for attacking federal officials is one year in prison, a $100,000 fine, one year of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a $25 obligatory special assessment charge.

U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charging document and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The United States Department of Veteran’s Affairs Police investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorney J. Benjamin Myers is in charge of the prosecution.