Ray Epps (military veteran)
Ray Epps, born James Ray Epps on May 28, 1961, is a former United States Marine and was the Arizona chapter president of the Oath Keepers. He attended the January 6, 2021, protests in Washington, D.C., and was filmed at two street gatherings. He told the crowd, “We’re here to storm the Capitol,” and urged people to enter the Capitol the next day, though he did not enter the building himself.
After January 6, conspiracy theories spread online and on Fox News claiming Epps was a government agent provocateur. He and his wife Robyn faced threats due to these claims. Epps has said he went to the Capitol because he believed the 2020 election was stolen. He has said he tried to calm others during the events, and he later contacted the FBI, which has said he was never an FBI source or employee. Tucker Carlson and others promoted unverified theories that he was involved with the government.
In 2023, Epps faced legal trouble related to the events. He was charged with a single misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct on restricted grounds, pleaded guilty on September 20, 2023, and received one year of probation on January 9, 2024. On January 20, 2025, he was pardoned by President Donald Trump along with many others connected to the January 6 actions.
Early in his life, Epps lived in Arizona, where he and Robyn ran a wedding venue business. They moved in May 2022 to a trailer in the Rocky Mountains after selling the business. Epps has said he regrets his actions on January 6 and now believes the 2020 election results were legitimate.
Epps was previously the president of the Arizona chapter of the Oath Keepers but left the group, saying it had become too radical. He has criticized politicians who spread false rumors about him, and he has pursued a defamation case against Fox News for implying he was an FBI informant. That lawsuit was dismissed in November 2024 for lack of proof of actual malice.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:13 (CET).