A soldier from North Carolina facing accusations of lying to military authorities regarding his connections with a group advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government has been granted permission to stay at his parents’ residence while awaiting trial, according to a federal court ruling on Thursday. U.S. Magistrate Judge James Gates granted the request for 20-year-old Kai Liam Nix, an active-duty soldier at Fort Liberty, to be released into his mother’s custody as part of a home detention agreement reached between prosecutors and Nix’s public defender. Nix was recently indicted on four charges, including allegations of firearms trafficking.
The indictment against Nix alleges that he provided false information on his 2022 security clearance application for military personnel by denying any affiliation with a group dedicated to using violence or force to subvert the U.S. government, despite knowing that he had been associated with such a group. The indictment did not disclose details about the group in question, and the specifics of the charges were not discussed during the detention hearing held on Thursday. Apart from the initial accusations, Nix also faces charges for unauthorized firearm dealing and the sale of stolen firearms.
Nix’s public defender, Robert Parrott, refrained from commenting following the hearing. As part of the conditions outlined in the release order, Nix is prohibited from accessing the internet and will be under GPS monitoring. Limited permissions have been granted for Nix to leave his family’s residence in central North Carolina under certain circumstances. The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Department are currently conducting an investigation into the case.