Former Government Official Accused of Making False Accusations Against Colleagues for Jan. 6 Involvement

According to a report by Politico, federal prosecutors have charged a former government official for falsely accusing several colleagues of being involved in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2020.

Identified as Miguel Zapata, the former government official was arrested in Chantilly, Virginia and charged with providing materially false statements to law enforcement. Charging documents reveal that Zapata made seven anonymous tips accusing seven different government employees and contractors of participating in the Capitol riot.

The FBI received these tips between February and April of 2021, alleging that the accused individuals were present at the riot or had shared classified information with groups aiming to overthrow the government during the incident. However, the FBI’s investigation concluded that none of the accused individuals were involved in the Capitol riot.

Despite the tips coming from various IP addresses, investigators traced them back to a single account with an online anonymizer service owned by Zapata, who had previous professional affiliations with all the accused individuals in the tips.

Zapata appeared in federal court on the same day as his arrest and was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on May 23. Records indicate that he is being represented by the Federal Public Defender for the District of Columbia.