A judge delivered a one-year probationary sentence to an Arizona man on Tuesday, amidst conservative claims that he was an FBI agent involved in the Capitol disturbance on January 6. Ray Epps, a 62-year-old rioter, pleaded guilty in September to a single charge of participating in disorderly or disruptive behavior in a restricted facility or grounds. As part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors, Epps was sentenced to probation, as reported by The Hill newspaper.
Epps maintained his innocence throughout by denying any involvement with the government or any encouragement to break into the Capitol. Reports from NBC News state that during his appearance before the now-dissolved House Jan. 6 committee, Epps denied being an agent of the federal government and denied affiliation with the CIA, the National Security Agency, or the Metropolitan Police Department.
On that particular day, no proof has surfaced that Epps was acting on behalf of or in collaboration with the government. Beyond his time in the Marines forty years ago, federal prosecutors claim that Epps was never an agent or employee of the government. A hundred hours of community service and $500 in reparations were also part of his sentence.
However, according to the Hill, prosecutors had sought six months in jail for Epps, who was part of a group that tried to push past police officers on January 6, 2021, as Congress was trying to confirm the 2020 presidential victory of Democrat Joe Biden.
The prosecution claims that Epps engaged in hostile behavior during the incident, despite not physically contacting law enforcement or entering the facility. He later turned himself in to defuse tensions. Video footage supports claims that he may have been an FBI informant, as it shows him discussing a visit to the Capitol and whispering with another rioter accused of breaking police barricades.
Last summer, Epps filed a lawsuit against Fox News, claiming that the network disseminated "destructive conspiracy theories" about him and his activities on January 6. The Washington Post reports that Fox attorneys moved to dismiss the case last August, citing a conversation that is "exactly what the First Amendment protects" as their justification for the on-air hosts' questioning concerning Ray Epps's lack of arrest.
Epps maintained his innocence throughout by denying any involvement with the government or any encouragement to break into the Capitol. Reports from NBC News state that during his appearance before the now-dissolved House Jan. 6 committee, Epps denied being an agent of the federal government and denied affiliation with the CIA, the National Security Agency, or the Metropolitan Police Department.
On that particular day, no proof has surfaced that Epps was acting on behalf of or in collaboration with the government. Beyond his time in the Marines forty years ago, federal prosecutors claim that Epps was never an agent or employee of the government. A hundred hours of community service and $500 in reparations were also part of his sentence.
However, according to the Hill, prosecutors had sought six months in jail for Epps, who was part of a group that tried to push past police officers on January 6, 2021, as Congress was trying to confirm the 2020 presidential victory of Democrat Joe Biden.
The prosecution claims that Epps engaged in hostile behavior during the incident, despite not physically contacting law enforcement or entering the facility. He later turned himself in to defuse tensions. Video footage supports claims that he may have been an FBI informant, as it shows him discussing a visit to the Capitol and whispering with another rioter accused of breaking police barricades.
Last summer, Epps filed a lawsuit against Fox News, claiming that the network disseminated "destructive conspiracy theories" about him and his activities on January 6. The Washington Post reports that Fox attorneys moved to dismiss the case last August, citing a conversation that is "exactly what the First Amendment protects" as their justification for the on-air hosts' questioning concerning Ray Epps's lack of arrest.
