‘Red meat’: FBI Las Vegas leader’s firing could be an Epstein distraction, attorney says

An attorney for the former leader of the FBI in Las Vegas said he suspects his client was fired as “an excuse to try and deflect from all the Epstein controversy.”

Spencer Evans’ dismissal was announced Friday by attorney Mark Zaid and comes as President Donald Trump’s administration faces blowback for its handling of material related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

FBI Director Kash Patel’s Friday termination letter to Evans did not mention Epstein, but said, “You demonstrated a lack of reasonableness and overzealousness in the implementation of COVID-19 protocols and policies,” according to a copy provided by Zaid.

Zaid wrote in an X post that Evans was fired without due process because he followed Justice Department COVID-19 policies.

Other FBI officials were recently fired under similar circumstances, Zaid said, including former acting Director Brian Driscoll.

“This is a good way to sort of throw some red meat at the base to distract them from the Epstein files,” he said. “That’s a working strategy and theory. Obviously, I don’t know if that’s what led to it or not, but I don’t have a better explanation as to why, all of a sudden, these terminations would occur.”

An FBI Las Vegas spokesperson declined to comment.

Evans was named special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas office in 2022 and was one of the local law enforcement leaders who spoke to reporters after the Jan. 1 Cybertruck explosion at the Trump International.

Before coming to Las Vegas, he served as deputy assistant director in human resources at FBI Headquarters.

It was in his human resources role that he helped to implement COVID policies as directed by the Justice Department, Zaid said.

Some FBI employees were upset about vaccination and mask requirements and their ability to receive accommodations, according to the attorney.

Though Evans did not create the policies, Zaid said, he helped carry out the requirements and disgruntled former agents attacked Evans and others.

“They don’t have a great deal of public influence,” the attorney said. “The question is how much influence have they had inside the bureau.”

Kyle Seraphin, who refers to himself as a “recovering FBI agent,” said he made an accommodation request in 2021, arguing COVID-19 policies discriminated against pro-life Christians. He said Evans denied the request.

Seraphin said he urged Evans’ firing, but still feels officials mishandled it.

“I actually think Spencer Evans is going to end up getting his job back or at least he’ll be paid out for a wrongful termination,” he said.

Evans was scheduled to report to Huntsville, Alabama, Monday for a new assignment, serving as the FBI’s deputy assistant director and head of insider threat in the security division, according to his attorney.

Last Wednesday, said Zaid, Evans received a call from an associate deputy director and learned he would receive a termination letter by Friday.

NBC News reported in late January that multiple FBI officials promoted by former Director Christopher Wray were instructed to quit or be dismissed. Evans was one of the leaders singled out, according to the report.

An FBI spokesperson said in February that Jeremy Schwartz was the acting special agent in charge in Las Vegas. The same month, Evans appeared at a news conference and said he remained in charge.

Zaid said it appears there was “a misunderstanding” about Evans’ eligibility for retirement this year. He was part of a group of FBI officials told to retire or be fired, but Evans was not actually eligible to retire, his attorney said, and officials rescinded the prior termination.

Evans wrote about his departure on LinkedIn, saying he was “filled with gratitude” for his 21-year career.

“I have long believed in the metaphor of God as the all-knowing gardener, who prunes us and shapes us from time to time because He knows what He wants us to become,” Evans wrote. “And so I look forward to seeing what comes next as I explore opportunities outside of government service. To all those who have helped ‘prune’ me along the way, I offer my heartfelt thanks for your friendship and mentorship.”

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X. The Associated Press contributed to this report.