PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. — Nicholas Kelson, 31, of Lusby, is facing multiple charges related to the interception and disclosure of communications, a case that has been delayed for more than two years due to competency evaluations and procedural issues. A motions hearing is now scheduled for Feb. 6, 2026. Kelson is charged with three counts of interception of communication and three counts of disclosing or using a wiretap without consent.
Court documents allege that in July 2022, Kelson made numerous calls to the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Calvert County regarding unrelated cases. According to the documents, Kelson claimed that the clerk’s office had deliberately mishandled his criminal cases and alleged a broader conspiracy involving the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office and the courts. During these calls, Kelson informed court staff multiple times that he was recording the conversations for his protection and for the benefit of his TikTok followers. Staff members did not provide consent to be recorded.
According to court documents, despite Kelson’s alleged statements about recording, the clerk’s staff continued assisting him with a leave of appeal related to his prior theft and assault convictions. His leave of appeal was reportedly referenced extensively in his TikTok and YouTube content, where he made additional allegations, including claims of unlawful evidence collection, denial of due process, harassment, civil rights violations and concerns related to conditions at the Calvert Detention Center.
According to police documents, the state’s attorney was alerted to Kelson’s activities after the clerk’s office discovered his TikTok account, which they reported contained multiple videos that may have shown recordings of staff made without consent. Detectives accessed the account and reportedly found more than 10 videos related to wiretapping. In one video described in the documents, Kelson is shown calling an individual for legal advice and stating that the call was being recorded. The individual told him three times that she did not consent to the recording. Kelson allegedly responded that he did not care about consent and continued speaking with her. The majority of the videos appear on TikTok and YouTube and were allegedly recorded inside private residences.
Court records show the case has been prolonged by a series of competency evaluations, treatment orders, and transport-related issues that halted proceedings for more than a year. The defendant was ordered to undergo an inpatient mental health examination in July 2023 and was found incompetent to stand trial that December, resulting in his commitment to the Maryland Department of Health until he was deemed competent again in late 2024. After competency was restored, the case continued at a slower pace as attorneys filed motions, exchanged additional discovery, and appeared for repeated hearings. The docket also reflects frequent writs of habeas corpus to secure the defendant’s presence in court, along with multiple continuances, all of which contributed to the ongoing delays.
Under Maryland law, Kelson is charged with three counts of interception of communication and three counts of disclosing or using a wiretap without consent. He faces maximum penalties of up to 10 years in prison per count for interception of communication and unauthorized use or disclosure of a wiretap.
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Maryland is a single party consent state. As long as he informed them that he was recording the call everything is legal. If the other person didn’t agree with the recording they had an option to hang up. They choose not to do that. No crime has been committed here.