WASHINGTON (NEWSnet/AP) — Ray Epps, a former Marine who became the center of a Jan. 6, 2021, conspiracy theory, has been charged with a misdemeanor offense in connection with the U.S. Capitol riot.
Epps is charged with disorderly or disruptive conduct on restricted grounds, court records show. Epps is expected to plead guilty, according to his attorney. The judge has scheduled a plea agreement hearing for Wednesday.
Epps, a one-time supporter of President Donald Trump who has said he went to Washington to protest the 2020 election results, was falsely accused by Fox News Channel of being a government agent to initiate trouble that would be blamed on Trump supporters, his lawsuit claims.
In July, FBI Director Christopher Wray made an appearance before the House Judiciary Committee and denied having knowledge of Epps being a “secret government agent.”
“I will say this notion that somehow the violence at the Capitol on January 6 was part of some operation orchestrated by FBI sources and agents is ludicrous,” Wray told lawmakers.
In an interview that aired earlier this year with CBS’ “60 Minutes,” Epps, of Mesa, Arizona, described being “on the run,” after death threats forced him and his wife to sell their home.
“I had to do the necessary things to keep my family safe,” Epps said.
Although Epps’ lawsuit mentions Fox’s Laura Ingraham and Will Cain, former Fox host Tucker Carlson is cited as the leader in promoting the theory. Epps was featured in more than two dozen segments on Carlson’s prime-time show, the lawsuit said. Messages seeking comment were sent Tuesday to Fox News and a lawyer for Carlson.
During his January 2022 interview with the Jan. 6 House Committee, Epps, who worked as a roofer after serving four years as infantry in the U.S. Marine Corps, told investigators that he never worked for the FBI.
Epps had been a member of Oath Keepers, serving as an Arizona chapter leader before parting ways with the group a few years before the Jan. 6 attack, he said. He said the Oath Keepers were “too radical.”
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