Hearing delayed in Brian Kelsey’s fraud case

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Tennessee Senator Brian Kelsey’s hearing, which was scheduled in Nashville this week, has been moved to the end of the month.

Kelsey pleaded not guilty to the charges but has since filed a motion with the court to change his plea.

Kelsey and a Nashville social club owner, Joshua Smith, were indicted by a federal grand jury last year after nearly $100,000 was transferred from Kelsey’s state senate campaign, along with another $80,000 to his federal campaign committee.

The false reports of contribution were reported to the Federal Election Commission. Kelsey is facing multiple charges including the conspiracy to defraud the federal government and illegally transferring what’s called “soft” money.

Kelsey’s trial will began in January.

Tuesday, voters in Tennessee will cast votes for the new state senator for district 31 representing the Germantown area. Kelsey, the current senator, decided not to run in the re-election after being accused of violating several campaign laws.

In the meantime, Republican candidate Brent Taylor and Democratic candidate Ruby Powell-Dennis are replacing Kelsey on the ballots.

Click here to sign up for our newsletter!

Click here to report a spelling or grammar error. Please include the headline.

Copyright 2022 WMC. All rights reserved.