Former government employee charged with making false Jan. 6 accusations

Washington — A erstwhile authorities worker pinch ties to national intelligence agencies was arrested successful Virginia Thursday and accused of sending clone tips to nan FBI successful which he falsely accused aggregate coworkers of taking portion successful nan Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach, recently unsealed tribunal documents revealed. 

Investigators alleged successful tribunal records that Miguel Zapata anonymously submitted accusation astir 7 individuals pinch whom he had erstwhile worked successful nan months aft nan attack, penning that they "espoused conspiracy theories" and "took portion successful nan insurrection." 

According to prosecutors, betwixt February and April 2021, Zapata allegedly concocted clone stories astir his erstwhile coworkers' engagement successful nan events of Jan. 6 and submitted them via nan FBI's anonymous extremity statement that has been utilized to stitchery accusation pursuing nan Capitol breach. Over 1,300 individuals person truthful acold been charged for their alleged involvement. 

"These tips variously alleged that nan authorities labor and contractors were physically coming astatine aliases progressive successful nan onslaught astatine nan Capitol aliases had shared classified accusation pinch individuals and groups coming astatine nan riot pinch nan intent to assistance these groups successful overthrowing nan United States government," charging documents said. 

Zapata is accused of sending nan location addresses, afloat names, and information clearance levels of his erstwhile colleagues to nan FBI, which prompted nan FBI and immoderate of nan victims' employers to motorboat investigations into their alleged behaviour based connected nan faulty information. 

"None of nan 7 authorities labor and contractors were successful Washington, D.C., connected January 6 aliases attacked nan Capitol," prosecutors confirmed successful tribunal records.

In 1 submission from February 2021, Zapata allegedly wrote that 1 individual "espouses extremist ideology successful nan activity spot and has bragged astir [his/her] relation pinch nan Boogaloo Bois, ProudBoys and Oath Keepers," extremist groups whose members and associates person been charged successful nan attack. 

One of nan group whom Zapata is accused of flagging to nan FBI was his erstwhile programme head who hired him successful 2015, according to tribunal papers. 

In different tip, submitted successful April 2021, Zapata is accused of telling investigators that 1 of nan victims utilized to "share classified accusation pinch these groups successful an effort to assistance them win successful overthrowing nan government."

Zapata was charged pinch 1 count of providing materially mendacious statements to rule enforcement. He has yet to beryllium arraigned and made his first quality successful national tribunal connected Thursday, wherever a magistrate judge released him connected individual recognizance. 

His defense lawyer did not instantly respond to CBS News' petition for comment. 

Although nan clone tips were submitted anonymously, investigators said they tracked Zapata down because each 7 entries were made from 4 circumstantial IP addresses associated pinch nan defendant's accounts. The similarity successful nan written connection and nan victims' connections to nan national authorities prompted nan FBI to look further into who had really submitted nan complaints. 

In:
• United States Capitol