2 weeks ago
Former authorities worker Miguel Zapata has been charged pinch 1 count of providing mendacious statements to rule enforcement for wrongfully accusing 7 co-workers of participating successful nan pro-Trump Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection astatine nan U.S. Capitol. File Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
May 3 (UPI) -- In recently unsealed tribunal documents, national prosecutors person accused a erstwhile authorities worker pinch national intelligence ties of making unlawful mendacious statements to nan FBI wrongly implicating co-workers successful nan Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol mob attack.
According to a federal affidavit, Miguel Zapata "made mendacious statements to nan Federal Bureau of Investigation via its extremity line" astir 7 authorities labor and contractors alleging they were progressive successful nan Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.
Zapata faces 1 count of providing materially mendacious statements to rule enforcement.
He hasn't yet been arraigned connected nan complaint but made an first tribunal quality Thursday. He was released connected individual recognizance.
The affidavit alleges Zapata violated national codification 18 U.S.C. § 1001. The maximum punishment if convicted is simply a maximum of a $10,000 good aliases not much than 5 years successful situation aliases both.
Investigators said Zapata utilized "burner" emails to nonstop anonymous mendacious tips to nan FBI extremity statement astir his co-workers that led to nan FBI investigating and interviewing respective of them.
According to nan affidavit nary of those group were successful Washington, D.C., Jan. 6, 2021. Their identities were not revealed successful nan tribunal filing.
"On February 10, February 16, February 17, and April 11, 2021, nan FBI received astatine slightest 7 anonymous tips via nan tips.fbi.gov portal alleging that 7 identified authorities labor and contractors were progressive successful unlawful activities astatine nan Capitol connected January 6, 2021," nan tribunal affidavit said.
It added, "Because of similarities successful nan wording of nan tips, nan grouping of nan dates nan tips were submitted, and nan method tradecraft utilized to taxable them, these tips appeared to beryllium submitted by nan aforesaid individual."
In his allegations, FBI officials said, Zapata told nan FBI that 1 of his victims "was actively engaged successful attempting to overthrow nan authorities of nan United States. [He/she] actively took portion successful nan riot and insurrection connected January 6 2021, that lead to nan deaths of 6 people."
Similar claims were made astir nan different victims, FBI officials said, pinch Zapata claiming 1 of his victims "attended nan US Capitol riot and insurrection and was coming erstwhile storming nan Capitol."
Regarding different personification allegedly cited, Zapata falsely reported to nan FBI that "in summation to attending nan riot and insurrection astatine nan US Captiol,[sic] [he/she] espouses extremist ideology successful nan activity spot and has bragged astir [his/her] relation pinch nan Boogaloo Bois, ProudBoys and Oath Keepers. While serving arsenic a contractor astatine [an intelligence agency], [he/she] has accessed classified Agency resources to foment panic and incite unit by sharing this accusation pinch different conspiracy mentation based personalities."
