Liam Conner
washington – A former government employee with ties to federal intelligence agencies was arrested in Virginia on Thursday and accused of sending false tips to the FBI in which he falsely accused several co-workers of participating in the crime. January 6, 2021, Capitol breachrecently unsealed court documents have revealed.
Investigators alleged in court filings that Miguel Zapata anonymously submitted information about seven individuals he previously worked with in the months following the attack, writing that they “advocated conspiracy theories” and “participated in the insurrection.”
According to prosecutors, between February and April 2021, Zapata allegedly concocted false stories about his former co-workers’ involvement in the events of January 6 and sent them through the anonymous FBI tip line that has been used to gather information after the Capitol breach. More than 1,300 people have been charged so far for their alleged involvement.
“These tips variously alleged that government employees and contractors were physically present or involved in the attack on the Capitol or shared confidential information with individuals and groups present at the riot with the intent of helping those groups overthrow the United States government. ,” the charging documents said.
Zapata is accused of sending the home addresses, full names and security clearance levels of his former colleagues to the FBI, which led the FBI and some of the victims’ employers to launch investigations into his alleged conduct based on misinformation.
“None of the seven government employees and contractors were in Washington, D.C., on January 6, or attacked the Capitol,” prosecutors confirmed in court filings.
In a February 2021 submission, Zapata allegedly wrote that an individual “advocates extremist ideology in the workplace and brags about [his/her] association with Boogaloo Bois, ProudBoys and Oath Keepers”, extremist groups whose members and associates were charged in the attack.
One of the people Zapata is accused of reporting to the FBI was his former program manager, who hired him in 2015, according to court documents.
In another complaint, filed in April 2021, Zapata is accused of telling investigators that one of the victims used to “share confidential information with these groups in an effort to help them overthrow the government.”
Zapata was charged with providing materially false statements to authorities. He has not yet been arraigned and made his first federal court appearance on Thursday, where a judge released him on bond.
His defense attorney did not immediately respond to CBS News’ request for comment.
Although the false tips were submitted anonymously, investigators said they tracked Zapata because all seven entries were made from four specific IP addresses associated with the defendant’s accounts. The similarity in written language and the victims’ connections to the federal government led the FBI to further investigate who actually filed the complaints.
