Pennsylvania man whose wife’s Facebook posts tipped off FBI sentenced to probation for role in Capitol riot

‘Gary walked around the back of the building and climbed the stairs walking right into the rotunda’

Edwards Gary seen in the videos provided by the US Capitol Police, which included security camera footage inside the US Capitol building (Justice Department)

A Pennsylvania man, whose participation in the Capitol riots on 6 January was accidentally revealed by his wife’s Facebook post, has been sentenced to a year of probation and fined $2,500.

Gary Edwards, 68, of Southampton pleaded guilty at his sentencing on Monday and reportedly told a federal judge that he is “ashamed” for his role in the riots.

According to court documents, the evidence during investigations showed Edwards entering the Capitol through a broken window and walking into the ransacked office of Sen Jeff Merkley.

However, other charges of disorderly conduct, knowingly entering a restricted building, and violent entry into the building were dismissed by the federal judge.

The US District Judge James E Boasberg sentenced Edwards to one year of probation, 200 hours of community service, and an additional fine of $2,500.

The court detailed that in February 2021 the FBI “received a tip indicating that Gary Edwards” entered the Capitol building and the tip included screenshots of posts from the Facebook page of “Lynn Feiler Edwards,” his wife.

“Okay ladies let me tell you what happened as my husband was there inside the Capitol Rotunda. There was a small group of young men dressed in military garb who yelled ‘we r going in!’ They broke the barricade down, ran up the steps, broke a window and climbed in,” the post read.

“Gary walked around the back of the building and climbed the stairs walking right into the rotunda. He stood there and heard and saw tear gas blasts. The police were right next to him as Gary poured water on their eyes,” it added.

In another post, Ms Edwards described how her husband walked in the building carrying US flags and “walked right through the door into the rotunda”.

However, the posts were later deleted.

The police also obtained photos and videos that showed Edwards both outside and inside the building while a video was live streamed showing him inside one of the offices.

So far, about 710 people have been arrested and dozens have been issued sentences in nearly all 50 states of the US for breaching the Capitol.