Man sentenced after wife's Facebook posts tipped off FBI to Capitol riot involvement
A Pennsylvania man whose involvement in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol was inadvertently uncovered through his wife's Facebook posts has been sentenced to a year of probation.
The man, Gary Edwards, 68, of Southampton, pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement to demonstrating in the Capitol and was sentenced Monday in federal court, online records show.
Other charges of disorderly conduct, knowingly entering a restricted building, disruption of official business and violent entry on Capitol Grounds were dismissed.
In addition to probation, U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg ordered Edwards to pay a $2,500 fine and $500 in restitution.
Federal authorities were alerted to Edwards' involvement in the riot through a tip that included screenshots of his wife's Facebook page, according to court documents.
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In one post, Edwards' wife, Lynn Feiler Edwards, detailed how Edwards walked around the building and talked with police, according to the documents, which included her posts.
"Okay ladies let me tell you what happened as my husband was there inside the Capitol Rotunda," she wrote, in part. "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."
Another Facebook post described how Edwards walked around carrying U.S. flags and then "walked right through the door into the rotunda."
The posts were later deleted or removed from being viewed by the public, the court documents said.
Through an investigation, law enforcement officers obtained photos and videos that showed Edwards inside the Capitol building on Jan. 6. One video that was livestreamed showed him inside one of the offices, authorities said.
An attorney for Edwards declined to comment Wednesday. He remains out of jail on a personal recognizance bond.
As of Dec. 6, about 710 people had been arrested in nearly all 50 states on charges of breaching the Capitol, according to the Justice Department.
