(RightWing.org) – Ray Epps is a former US Marine and one-time president of the Arizona Oath Keepers. Videos circulated on social media platforms showing him urging participants of the January 6 riot to “peacefully” enter the Capitol Building. Several months later, Revolver published an article accusing him of being an FBI agent, stressing that law enforcement officials never arrested him. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson started recirculating that rumor, adding that Epps had ties to Dominion Voting Systems. Ironically, the Justice Department recently indicted Epps for his involvement in the January 6 incident.
On September 18, prosecutors filed an indictment against Epps in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. The indictment accuses him of knowingly engaging in disruptive behavior with the intention of undermining the “orderly conduct of Government business and… functions,” a misdemeanor violation of 18 USC ยง 1752(a)(2), Disorderly or Disruptive Conduct in a Restrictive Building or Grounds.
The simple, one-page document alleged that Epps, in fact, did disrupt government functions within the proximity of a “restricted building and grounds” (the US Capitol Building) and a cordoned-off area and “conspired to do so.” Furthermore, it claimed he did so while the Vice President temporarily visited the location.
Epps’ rise as a leading figure in right-wing conspiracies is a bit at odds with known facts about him. For instance, Epps is a long-time supporter of Donald Trump and voted for him in 2016 and 2020. He readily admitted to being at the nation’s capitol on January 5 and 6, 2021. He told CBS News 60-Minutes host Bill Whitaker that he went to Capitol Hill because he believed the 2020 presidential election had been stolen from Trump.
Epps faces up to a year imprisonment and a fine if convicted. He pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor pursuant to a plea agreement on September 20 during a 20-minute hearing. The court set his sentencing for December.
A prosecutor told District Judge James Boasberg that Epps hadn’t worked as a federal agent “before, during, or after” the January 6 riot.
Copyright 2023, RightWing.org
