Recently unsealed court documents accuse a former government employee with ties to federal intelligence agencies of sending fraudulent tips to the FBI and falsely accusing other coworkers of involvement in the Capitol hack on January 6, 2021.
In court records, investigators said that Miguel Zapata anonymously filed information against seven people with whom he had previously worked in the months following the attack, stating that they “espoused conspiracy theories” and “took part in the insurrection.”
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Authorities claim that between February and April 2021, Zapata falsely reported his former coworkers’ involvement in the events of January 6 to the FBI’s anonymous tip line, set up to collect information after the Capitol hack. Authorities have charged over 1,300 people so far for their suspected involvement.
“These tips variously alleged that the government employees and contractors were physically present at or involved in the attack at the Capitol or had shared classified information with individuals and groups present at the riot with the intent to assist these groups in overthrowing the United States government,” the documents said.
The FBI and some of the victims’ companies initiated investigations into Zapata’s alleged conduct after he allegedly disclosed to them his former colleagues’ home locations, full identities, and security clearance levels.
“None of the seven government employees and contractors were in Washington, D.C., on January 6 or attacked the Capitol,” prosecutors said in court.
In a February 2021 submission, Zapata allegedly stated that one employee “espouses extremist ideology in the workplace and has bragged about [his/her] association with the Boogaloo Bois, ProudBoys, and Oath Keepers,” extremist groups whose members and associates have been charged in the attack.
Court documents suggest that Zapata may have told the FBI about his former program manager, who hired him in 2015.
Another tip from April 2021 accuses Zapata of telling investigators that one of the victims “shared classified information with these groups in an effort to assist them in succeeding in overthrowing the government.”
One count of making materially false statements to law enforcement was the charge against Zapata. He has yet to be arraigned but made his first appearance in federal court on Thursday, when a magistrate judge freed him on personal recognizance.
His defense attorney did not immediately respond to CBS News’s request for comment.
Although the bogus tips were sent anonymously, police said they were able to trace Zapata because all seven entries came from four specific IP addresses associated with the defendant’s accounts. The similarities between the written language and the victims’ links to the federal government prompted the FBI to investigate who submitted the complaints.
