Kriti Mehrotra
While there’s no denying far-right groups had begun to openly despise federal agencies in the 1990s, no one could have ever imagined it would ultimately lead to an act of domestic terrorism. But the truth is that’s precisely what transpired in April 1995, with the Oklahoma City bombing despite the best efforts of ATF agents to stop it beforehand, as explored in ‘Waco: The Aftermath.’ Amongst them in this series is actually Angela “Angie” Graham (played by Sasheer Zamata) — so now, if you just wish to learn more about the origin of her character, we’ve got the details for you.
Angela “Angie” Graham is Based on an Actual ATF Agent
Well, yes — the entire core of Angie Graham (or Gram) has been inspired by an actual agent named Angela “Angie” Finley-Graham who’d navigated the Oklahoma City bombing investigations. However, there are some stark differences between the reel and the real her since the former is indeed a mere production part mainly molded for our entertainment rather than our knowledge. The prime example of this is the fact it was her, not FBI chief negotiator Gary Noesner, that convinced Carol Elizabeth Howe to go from a neo-Nazi, White supremacist to a confidential informant.
According to reports, Carol caught Angie’s eye in August 1994 upon filing for a restraining order against partner Dennis Mahon because the latter had already been looking into his radicalization. It turns out he was a significant White Aryan Resistance (WAR) member residing in the separatist enclave of Elohim City in Oklahoma, only for the then 24-year-old to have followed in his footsteps. Though she did manage to slip away within months as he’d allegedly begun physically as well as sexually assaulting her, leading to Angie intercepting and asking her to basically be a snitch.
Carol was thus paid by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives between August 1994 and March 1995 to monitor Elohim City along with its extremist residents from the inside. She reportedly did tell Angie there were a few militants actively talking of visiting Oklahoma City, blowing up federal buildings, and using direct action against the government as payback for Waco. Yet she couldn’t identify anyone by their full real names, at least not until it was too late — plus, by this point, she’d already been removed as an informant owing to her “suicidal” behavior.
Therefore, once this matter came to court, Angie didn’t hesitate to clarify that although Carol’s insights were helpful, they were never enough to obtain or inadvertently lead to a criminal conviction. In fact, per her narrative, it was ultimately only the combined efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement that resulted in them getting concrete leads in the Oklahoma City bombing case. Nevertheless, Carol was reinstated as a confidential informant following the incident (until late 1996) in the hopes of them gathering further information from Elohim, but to absolutely no avail.
Instead, the former debutante was soon arrested for conspiracy, making a bomb threat, and possessing a destructive device once it came to light she’d co-founded her own far-right coalition in Tulsa. Angie has seemingly never explicitly spoken up about the charges against her once informant, but she did testify Carol is the sole individual she is aware of who was reactivated after being removed from the agency’s services. So, while the former was acquitted of all counts in 1997, it appears as if the latter then chose to stay well away from the limelight.
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