On Wednesday, Ray Epps, a former Oath Keepers member, was sentenced for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, narrowly avoiding jail time.
Epps, 62, was ordered to pay $500 in restitution and serve 100 hours of community service in addition to probation.
In September, the Arizona man pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds as part of a deal with Justice Department prosecutors.
Federal prosecutors recently recommended the “high end of the applicable guidelines range” of six months of incarceration for Epps, as well as one year of supervised release and $500 in restitution. (RELATED: Federal Prosecutors Seek Six-Month Jail Sentence For Ray Epps)
Epps's legal team argued he should only be given probation.
“This 62-year-old man has displayed remorse, accepted responsibility, and taken-on the brand of a convicted criminal that shames and embarrasses him and his family and will stain him for the rest of his life,” lawyer Ed Ungvarsky said in a sentencing memo, The Hill reported.
Notably, Epps was a central figure in the Capitol protest. He's seen in multiple video clips from January 6 and the day before encouraging other Trump supporters to “go into the Capitol” the next day.
“I'll say it. We need to go into the Capitol,” Epps says in one clip. The crowd of Trump supporters then starts chanting back at Epps, “Fed! Fed! Fed!”
Epps' involvement in the riot sparked numerous debunked conspiracy theories that he was acting as a federal agent on January 6th. The former Marine later filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News over the claims. (RELATED: Former Marine, Ray Epps, Sues Fox News Over Jan. 6 Coverage)
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