Ray Epps, Jan 6. 2021 (File, X) A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced Ray Epps, the supposed Donald Trump supporter who openly egged on protesters
A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced Ray Epps, the supposed Donald Trump supporter who openly egged on protesters on to enter the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to one year of probation for his role in the riot.
Epps had pleaded guilty last September to one misdemeanor count of disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, as the Tampa Free Press reported.
Last week, federal prosecutors recommended that Epps spend six months in jail for openly cheerleading what some Trump supporters have dubbed the “Fedsurreciton.”
On Tuesday, Judge James Boasberg departed sharply from that request and actually empathized with Epps, despite, according to Politico, telling the court, “This is not an easy sentencing.”
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Boasberg, according to other media reports, told Epps that he had been “vilified in a matter unique to January 6 defendants,” referring to the alleged death threats Epps received.
“You were hounded out of your home,” the Obama-appointed judge added. “You were hounded out of your town.”
Epps reportedly was forced to sell his Arizona home because of the threats made against him. He now lives in an RV.
Even prosecutors didn’t appear eager to drop the hammer on Epps, like they have so many other Trump supporters hunted down during the roundup of J6 protesters, some of whom did far less nonviolent crimes than Epps.
“Ray Epps has been unfairly scapegoated,” prosecutor Mike Gordon told Boasberg before the sentence was handed down, Politico reported. Gordon also denied that Epps was a federal agent.
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But the prosecutor added that Epps deserved to go to jail for urging others to enter the Capitol on Jan. 5 and Jan. 6.
The mainstream media continued its sympathetic portrayal of Epps.
Headlines on Tuesday from The New York Times, Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post, ABC News, and others declared that Epps was targeted by right-wing conspiracy theorists who repeatedly asserted he was a federal informant.
Despite its denials of Epps serving as an undercover operative, the Biden administration has not helped dispel the belief that Epps was a law enforcement plant.
More evidence for that came Tuesday, beyond the light sentence for his actions, when Boasberg excused Epps from having to appear in person and agreed to conduct the sentencing hearing by Zoom.
As the Tampa Free Press reported in September, Trump supporters suspected he was working for the government in January 2021. On videos, as Epps was coaching people to “go into the Capitol,” bystanders began chanting “Fed, fed, fed.”
The FBI identified Epps on Jan. 8, 2021, as one of its 20 most wanted rioters and even offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. Yet his photo quickly disappeared from the agency’s website, and he was never charged in the melee until four months ago.
As Revolver News, which has reported extensively on Epps’ actions that day, noted, Epps actively orchestrated the very first breach of the Capitol barricades on Jan. 6.
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That occurred while Trump still had 20 minutes left in his speech that day, and about one minute after U.S. Capitol Police began responding to reports of two pipe bombs located at both Democratic and Republican headquarters.
The FBI, by the way, still has not caught the would-be bomber.
On Tuesday, Revolver News noted, “It must be quite a privilege to be Ray Epps. You can incite riots on video, encourage people to storm government buildings on video, use ‘force’ against police on video, and still be treated like both a victim and a hero.”
“We’ve seen non-violent grandparents, who did nothing more than stroll through the Capitol with a police escort, being treated like ISIS terrorists. Meanwhile, Mr. Epps, who’s on video repeatedly calling for what the left labels an ‘insurrection,’ is handled with velvet gloves by federal authorities and the sham J6 committee.”
“This man has received the gold-star treatment, despite being the one who led the charge and incited people on January 5th to storm the Capitol the next day,” Revolver News continued.
“Why is Ray Epps the only J6 ‘insurrectionist’ whom the federal authorities seem to admire, respect, and protect? This remains one of the great mysteries, and anyone who delves too deep into this question often faces consequences, such as lawsuits, job terminations, or other forms of silencing.”
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