Dimas Ibnu08/10/2026
3 min read
A Fortnite player in Alabama was arrested by the FBI after Epic Games reported threats he allegedly made over voice chat, including a remark about whether federal agents would come to his house. According to a federal affidavit, 29-year-old Edward Lee Frith, who played under the name WagesOfNinja, said “Let’s see if the FBI is going to show up at my door” before adding that he would shoot the agents too.
Epic made a voluntary emergency disclosure about the account to the FBI on 20 September, and Frith was arrested and indicted three days later. He has since pleaded not guilty and remains in custody.
What Frith Allegedly Said in Fortnite Voice Chat
The FBI remark wasn’t the only statement in the affidavit. Frith allegedly said he was letting all his rage out because he wanted to “literally murder somebody”, and that he thinks about killing “every day”. He also allegedly spoke about killing a police officer, and then himself, if he was arrested.
An FBI agent reviewed the audio recordings Epic supplied and confirmed that the statements quoted in the affidavit were transcribed accurately.
How Epic’s Report Led the FBI to Frith
Epic’s disclosure went to the FBI’s National Threat Operations Section (NTOS), specifically its Exigent Threat Research and Analysis Crisis Team (EXTRACT). Along with the audio recording and a transcript, Epic provided account information for WagesOfNinja, and investigators used records to connect the account to Frith. Epic also told the FBI that the account had been accessed more than 1,700 times from IP addresses geolocating to Alabama.
That login history narrowed an anonymous Fortnite name down to one state before investigators matched it to a person, and the case went from Epic’s disclosure to an indictment in three days.
Charge, Plea, and Trial Date
Court records, first reported byAftermath, show Frith was indicted on 23 September on an interstate threatening communications charge. He entered a plea of not guilty on 24 September, and a detention order issued on 29 September remanded him to a corrections facility until his trial, which is expected to take place in December.
How Fortnite Voice Reporting Works
The affidavit doesn’t explain how Epic first obtained the recordings. Fortnite has had a voice reporting system since November 2023, though, and it works on a rolling basis: the last five minutes of voice chat are kept on the player’s own device, and that audio only reaches Epic’s moderation team when a participant files a report.
When the feature launched, Epic said the only way it receives a copy of a clip is if “voice reporting is on and a participant affirmatively reports the voice chat using the in-game voice reporting feature.” Epic can’t listen in on Fortnite voice chat on demand. Nothing in the affidavit says a player reported Frith, but under the system Epic describes, a report is the route by which voice audio reaches the company.
Players can’t always switch that capture off. Voice reporting is always on in public Game Channels and in any chat that includes a player under 18, so if you’re talking in a public lobby, the last five minutes of what you’ve said can be clipped and sent to Epic.
Text chat can be reported as well, and those messages are stored for 30 days. Epic also runs automated systems that scan for harmful language, including self-harm, child endangerment, and threats of real-world violence. Depending on how serious a report is, the outcome ranges from a ban to, as in Frith’s case, a referral to federal law enforcement.
Epic GamesFBIFortniteFortnite moderationFortnite voice chatFortnite voice reportingonline safety
