Ray Epps, a former Marine who participated in storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one charge stemming from the incident, The Hill reports.
Epps accepted a plea agreement in which he admitted to disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds in exchange for no further prosecutions based on the incident at the Capitol.
As part of the agreement, Epps agreed to have his social media be reviewed by law enforcement and to pay $500 in restitution.
Ahead of the hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Gordon denied claims that Epps had been a federal informant, saying he wanted to enter into the record because of the "unusual nature of the case" that Epps "was not before, during or after" Jan. 6, 2021 "a confidential source or an undercover agent for the government, the FBI, DHS or any law enforcement."
Epps has filed a lawsuit against Fox News for spreading "destructive conspiracy theories," and his attorney said on Wednesday that "Today's hearing and the plea agreement reached with the Department of Justice is further proof of that. It is also powerful evidence of the absurdity of Fox News' and Tucker Carlson's lies that sought to turn Ray into a scapegoat for January 6."