(TheRedWire.com) – A 62-year-old man from Arizona who is central to the conspiracy theories regarding the start of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack has been charged with one count of disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds in connection to the Capitol riot.
Ray Apps is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday afternoon, where he is expected to enter a plea agreement. As the man has revealed, he had thought the 2020 presidential election was stolen and had traveled to the capital days before the Capitol attack. Since then, many conspiracy theories have emerged regarding the man, with some even alleging that he was an undercover federal agent who instigated violence that day. These theories stem from a video posted the previous night by Epps in which he is informing another individual that he will be going to the Capitol the next day.
In the video, Epps stated that tomorrow, they would need to head to the Capitol but that he did not want to say it because it would possibly lead to his arrest. In a different video taken on Jan. 6, Epps can be seen whispering in Ryan Samsel’s ear. Samsel is believed to have been the first rioter to have breached the barricades formed by the police.
The conspiracy theories surrounding Epps have widely been promoted by right-wing media, ultimately resulting in Epps suing Fox News over the “destructive conspiracy theories” they were spreading about him regarding his actions on the day of the Capitol attack. In the lawsuit, Epps noted that the Department of Justice had informed him that he would likely face criminal charges. He further claimed that these charges resulted from the attacks he had faced by Fox.
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