City Councilman John "Duke" Franklin faced charges that he helped Kelley falsify a document relating to $69,500 of alleged drug money seized from him.

City Councilman John "Duke" Franklin was arrested entered a guilty plea on Friday morning.Michael Kelley had been set to go to trial on Monday before Judge Leon Jordan of Knoxville.Instead, he entered guilty pleas to one charge of conspiracy to distribute five kilos or more of cocaine and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.Prosecutor Scott Winnie said Kelley faces 10 years to life on the first charge and up to 20 years on the second count.
Sentencing before Judge Jordan is July 6.Prosecutor Winnie said Kelley was a go-between on the delivery of money to Atlanta and shipment of large amounts of cocaine back to Chattanooga.He said Kelley would get cash from Marcus Lewis and take it to Atlanta, where he would exchange it for cocaine from Demarcus Akins. Both Lewis and Akins have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.Prosecutor Winnie said Kelley also was making some drug sales to several individuals. The prosecutor earlier said one of those who obtained cocaine from Kelley for over two years was Franklin.Franklin faced charges that he helped Kelley falsify a document relating to $69,500 of alleged drug money seized from him.
Agents stopped him on his way to Atlanta to get more drugs, they said.They said Kelley then began to work on a scheme to say that the large amount of cash was actually a loan.