Ray Epps, 61, arrived in Washington DC in early January 2021 believing he was answering his president's call. He was one of thousands of MAGA loyalists who believed former President Donald Trump's 2020 election fraud claim. He believed he and many conservative allies would protest the election's certification.
Mr. Epps advised Trump supporters to enter the Capitol the night before the Capitol riot on Jan. 6. Video captured this exchange. He later said he encouraged a peaceful protest inside the building.
The following day's failed insurrection resulted in nearly 900 arrests. Mr. Epps is not among that number, but a MAGA-world conspiracy theory blames him for the entire debacle.
Former Marine Mr. Epps runs a Queen Creek, Arizona wedding and event venue. He was a vocal Trump supporter and a conservative.
Mr. Epps went to DC believing the 2020 election was stolen. According to Politico, Mr. Epps was an Oath Keeper, a militant right-wing gang under investigation for seditious conspiracy.
Since the Capitol riot, the people he marched with have turned his life upside down.
After failing to blame Antifa for the Capitol riot, right-wing media turned to Mr. Epps. According to the New York Times, obscure right-wing outlets like Revolver Media began reporting on selectively-edited videos of Mr. Epps during the Capitol riot and later capitalized on his 5 January call for people to enter the Capitol.
According to the theory, Mr. Epps could only have avoided arrest after the Capitol riot if he was working with the government.
To explain this apparent contradiction, outlets and conspiracy theorists concluded that Mr. Epps was an FBI agent sent into the crowd to stir dissent and set up a "false flag" event to justify the incarceration of hundreds of Trump supporters.
Mr. Epps became mainstream conservative after Fox News' Tucker Carlson picked up the story. Senator Ted Cruz and Representatives Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Matt Gaetz used the theory to reframe the Capitol riot narrative.
Mr. Epps learned that the FBI was investigating him days after the Capitol riot. He called the agency immediately and agreed to discuss what happened.
Mr. Epps said he had stayed peaceful and instructed other rioters to do so during their talks. Mr. Epps was trying to calm angry protesters in footage later edited to suggest he was inciting violence.
In one video, he tells protester Ryan Samsel to relax and that the Capitol police were doing their jobs. The FBI interviewed Mr. Samsel, who confirmed Mr. Epps' account, the Times reported.
“He came up to me and he said, ‘Dude’—his entire words were, ‘Relax, the cops are doing their job,’” Mr. Samsel told investigators.
Mr. Epps also proved he left the Capitol before the violence started. Mr. Epps helped an ill protester escape the chaos. After that, Mr. Epps' life changed. Conservatives shun him because of his conspiracy theory.
Mr. Epps received death threats and intruders after the conspiracy theory gained popularity. Mr. Epps said they demanded the "truth" about his FBI involvement. He and his wife have fled Arizona and are hiding in an RV.
Mr. Epps told the Times he fears the US's direction and called his treatment "criminal." “I’m at the center of this, and it’s the biggest farce ever,” he said. “It’s wrong. Americans are led. It should be illegal.”
Mr. Epps sued Tucker Carlson and Fox News for defamation in July 2023. The New York Times reports that Mr. Epps filed the lawsuit in the Superior Court of Delaware, where Fox was awarded $787.5m to settle a Dominion Voting Systems defamation case.
Fox News moved the lawsuit to Wilmington's Federal District Court. Mr. Epps wants unspecified damages. In March, Mr. Epps demanded that Fox News and Carlson retract their stories and apologize on-air.
“Ray is taking the next steps to vindicate his rights by seeking accountability for Fox’s lies that have caused him and [his wife] Robyn so much harm,” his attorney, Michael Teter, told the Times.
The lawsuit portrays Mr. Epps as a loyal viewer who trusted Fox News' 2020 election fraud misinformation.
Mr. Epps advised Trump supporters to enter the Capitol the night before the Capitol riot on Jan. 6. Video captured this exchange. He later said he encouraged a peaceful protest inside the building.
The following day's failed insurrection resulted in nearly 900 arrests. Mr. Epps is not among that number, but a MAGA-world conspiracy theory blames him for the entire debacle.
Former Marine Mr. Epps runs a Queen Creek, Arizona wedding and event venue. He was a vocal Trump supporter and a conservative.
Mr. Epps went to DC believing the 2020 election was stolen. According to Politico, Mr. Epps was an Oath Keeper, a militant right-wing gang under investigation for seditious conspiracy.
Since the Capitol riot, the people he marched with have turned his life upside down.
After failing to blame Antifa for the Capitol riot, right-wing media turned to Mr. Epps. According to the New York Times, obscure right-wing outlets like Revolver Media began reporting on selectively-edited videos of Mr. Epps during the Capitol riot and later capitalized on his 5 January call for people to enter the Capitol.
According to the theory, Mr. Epps could only have avoided arrest after the Capitol riot if he was working with the government.
To explain this apparent contradiction, outlets and conspiracy theorists concluded that Mr. Epps was an FBI agent sent into the crowd to stir dissent and set up a "false flag" event to justify the incarceration of hundreds of Trump supporters.
Mr. Epps became mainstream conservative after Fox News' Tucker Carlson picked up the story. Senator Ted Cruz and Representatives Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Matt Gaetz used the theory to reframe the Capitol riot narrative.
Mr. Epps learned that the FBI was investigating him days after the Capitol riot. He called the agency immediately and agreed to discuss what happened.
Mr. Epps said he had stayed peaceful and instructed other rioters to do so during their talks. Mr. Epps was trying to calm angry protesters in footage later edited to suggest he was inciting violence.
In one video, he tells protester Ryan Samsel to relax and that the Capitol police were doing their jobs. The FBI interviewed Mr. Samsel, who confirmed Mr. Epps' account, the Times reported.
“He came up to me and he said, ‘Dude’—his entire words were, ‘Relax, the cops are doing their job,’” Mr. Samsel told investigators.
Mr. Epps also proved he left the Capitol before the violence started. Mr. Epps helped an ill protester escape the chaos. After that, Mr. Epps' life changed. Conservatives shun him because of his conspiracy theory.
Mr. Epps received death threats and intruders after the conspiracy theory gained popularity. Mr. Epps said they demanded the "truth" about his FBI involvement. He and his wife have fled Arizona and are hiding in an RV.
Mr. Epps told the Times he fears the US's direction and called his treatment "criminal." “I’m at the center of this, and it’s the biggest farce ever,” he said. “It’s wrong. Americans are led. It should be illegal.”
Mr. Epps sued Tucker Carlson and Fox News for defamation in July 2023. The New York Times reports that Mr. Epps filed the lawsuit in the Superior Court of Delaware, where Fox was awarded $787.5m to settle a Dominion Voting Systems defamation case.
Fox News moved the lawsuit to Wilmington's Federal District Court. Mr. Epps wants unspecified damages. In March, Mr. Epps demanded that Fox News and Carlson retract their stories and apologize on-air.
“Ray is taking the next steps to vindicate his rights by seeking accountability for Fox’s lies that have caused him and [his wife] Robyn so much harm,” his attorney, Michael Teter, told the Times.
The lawsuit portrays Mr. Epps as a loyal viewer who trusted Fox News' 2020 election fraud misinformation.
