Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Capitol Rioter Sentenced After Wife's Facebook Posts Bragging Of His Involvement Tip Off FBI

Capitol Rioter Sentenced After Wife's Facebook Posts Bragging Of His Involvement Tip Off FBI
@ryanjreilly/Twitter

There have been many shocking revelations in the weeks and months since the January 6 coup attempt at the Capitol, but among the most surprising is just how many people probably would have gotten away with it if they'd just had the wherewithal to stay off social media.

Case in point: Gary Edwards, a Pennsylvania man who has been sentenced for his involvement in the insurrection after his wife's bragging about it on Facebook tipped off the FBI.


After pleading guilty to a lesser charge as part of a plea deal, Edwards will now be spending the next year in probation.

Because of Facebook.

As part of his plea deal, Edwards was convicted of a charge of demonstrating in the Capitol and will serve one year of probation, 200 hours of community service, and pay a $2500 fine and $500 restitution towards the million-dollar damage to the Capitol itself.

His other charges of disorderly conduct, knowingly entering a restricted building, disruption of official business and violent entry on Capitol Grounds were dismissed..

During his sentencing, Edwards expressed remorse, saying he was "ashamed" of his involvement in the insurrection, which he attended with a group from his church, and didn't fully understand what was happening that day until he and his wife watched video footage from The New York Times.

But that's not at all the picture Edwards' wife Lynn painted at the time. She boasted about Edwards involvement in a lengthy, since-deleted Facebook post that gave details of how he got into the Capitol and what he did once he was inside.

"Okay ladies let me tell you what happened as my husband was there inside the Capitol Rotunda."
"Gary walked around the back of the building and climbed the stairs walking right into the rotunda. He stood there and heard and saw teargas blasts. The police were right next to him as Gary poured water on their eyes."

She went on to say that her husband was there to rectify the non-existent election fraud in the 2020 election.

“These were people who watched their rights being taken away. Their votes stolen from them, their state officials violating the constitutions of their country.”

One of Lynn Edwards' friends screenshotted the post and sent it to the FBI, leading directly to Gary Edwards' conviction. Speaking to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Lynn said she was mystified by the outcome.

“Never in my life could I have dreamed that something I posted on Facebook would be used against my husband, would lead him to be arrested."

Yikes.

On Twitter, there was no shortage of schadenfreude toward Gary and Lynn Edwards.









Gary Edwards remains free on a personal recognizance bond. His wife, who was not at the Capitol, has not been charged with any crimes.

More from People/donald-trump

Donald Trump
Fox News

Trump Shows Off His Tacky $5 Million 'Gold Card' For Wealthy Immigrants—And The Grift Is Real

As the U.S. stock market plummeted after Republican President Donald Trump announced his global tariffs, he presented his new "Gold Card" to reporters on Thursday.

At $5 million, the card featuring his face would give wealthy foreigners a path to U.S. residency.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump Dragged After Imposing Steep Tariffs On Two Uninhabited Islands Near Antarctica

Donald Trump invited widespread mockery after imposing tariffs not just on some of America's biggest trading partners—but on uninhabited islands as well, namely the Heard and McDonald Islands, which had 10% tariffs levied against them despite having no actual human populations to speak of.

Trump, in his tariff announcement on Wednesday, declared April 2 as the day American industry "will be reborn," heralding what he called a "golden age of America." He emphasized that the new tariffs would not only counter foreign tariffs but also address what he described as "nonmonetary" trade barriers, including currency manipulation and "pollution havens."

Keep ReadingShow less
Rand Paul
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Rand Paul Warns Trump Tariffs Will Lead To 'Political Decimation' Of GOP—And We Can't Wait

Kentucky Republican Rand Paul issued a dire warning to his fellow Republicans amid the widespread controversy surrounding President Donald Trump's tariffs, saying they could hamper the GOP's prospects in future elections and pointing to American history to support his prediction.

Trump, in his tariff announcement on Wednesday, declared April 2 as the day American industry "will be reborn," heralding what he called a "golden age of America." He emphasized that the new tariffs would not only counter foreign tariffs but also address what he described as "nonmonetary" trade barriers, including currency manipulation and "pollution havens."

Keep ReadingShow less
woman wearing white shirt holding axe
Benjamin Balázs on Unsplash

People Who Knew A Killer Explain If They Saw Any Red Flags

Like many Gen X women, I watch a lot of true crime. In fact, that's my go-to background noise when I'm writing.

In these programs, killers seem to always fall into one of two categories:

Keep ReadingShow less
A MAGA baseball cap.
a red hat that reads make america great again

MAGA Voters Explain What It Would Take To Stop Supporting Trump

The results of the recent US Presidential election certainly elicited a lot of emotions.

Regardless of one's politics, it's safe to say that few people ever thought Donald Trump would ever set foot in the Oval Office again.

Keep ReadingShow less