Ray Epps Sentence Is in, and It's Surprising Only If You Haven't Been Following Along

After a lot of controversy, Ray Epps finally pled guilty in September to a single charge of disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds after encouraging people to go into the Capitol the night before.

If you were wondering what sentence he might get for this, wonder no longer. The answer is in, and you might have guessed what it would be.

The prosecution wanted six months because they said he had engaged in aggressive conduct to get past the police officers outside the Capitol. However, they also appeared to argue against themselves.

However, several “distinctive and compelling mitigating factors” set Epps’s case apart from other rioters’ cases, prosecutors said. They noted Epps turned himself in two days after the riot and attempted to deescalate conflict between law enforcement and rioters at least five times that day.

His attorney asked for probation, and that's what he got — probation for a year with no restrictions on his travel. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $500 and to do 100 hours of community service.

The report reiterated:

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Gordon said in September that Epps was “not before, during or after” the Capitol riot “a confidential source or an undercover agent for the government, the FBI, DHS or any law enforcement.”
There is no evidence federal agents played a role in fomenting the Capitol attack three years ago. FBI Director Christopher Wray said last summer it’s “ludicrous” to suggest the agency or its assets helped orchestrate the riot.

They apparently haven't been listening to Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), who estimated there were over 200 FBI assets there on Jan. 6, including people inside the building who were dressed as Trump supporters.

This after Epps was caught on a lot of video whipping people to go to the Capitol or go into the Capitol.

BREAKING: Ray Epps, the only January 6 protester who actually told people to go into the Capitol, has been officially sentenced to one year probation, $500 restitution, and 100 hours community service.

While many J6 protesters are rotting in jail for non-violent crimes, Epps… pic.twitter.com/qPWwktAPbu
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 9, 2024

In relation to other sentences, where people are being pursued for a lot of time, even for minor offenses, this seems like a light charge to begin with — and a light sentence.

People weighing in were disturbed but probably not surprised.

As I spent three weeks in solitary confinement for misdemeanor trespass. I never incited nor encouraged anyone to break the law. And always kept full distance from the fray. While Ray Epps encouraged it. And got probation? https://t.co/fr5M4iz0t5
— Couy Griffin (@CowboyCouy) January 9, 2024

Yet my good friend, who didn't even go inside, and was trying to move people out of the way of tear gas, sat in isolation with no due process for over 6 months with the lights on 24/7. They transferred him from prison to prison and didn't inform his friends and family where he… https://t.co/BaQKVhElRG
— Sarah Fields (@SarahisCensored) January 9, 2024