Jan 6 rioter who assaulted police officer gets 41 months in jail | Courts News
US decide fingers down jail sentence in US Capitol riot to ex-MMA fighter who attacked police, incited and emboldened other rioters.
A health club owner from New Jersey was sentenced to 41 months in jail by a United States judge on Wednesday for assaulting law enforcement and interfering with Congress in the riot at the US Capitol, the most severe punishment so considerably linked to the January 6 incident.
The sentence imposed by US District Choose Royce Lamberth during a courtroom hearing in Washington, DC, sets a benchmark for 120 other defendants billed with attacking police on January 6.
Additional than 100 legislation enforcement officers have been injured in the course of the riot. One died right after collapsing and four some others have died by suicide.
Scott Fairlamb, a previous blended martial arts (MMA) fighter, had pleaded guilty in August to assaulting a law enforcement officer and interfering with official proceedings of Congress. He was captured on video clip screaming at officers, shoving 1 and then punching him in the helmet.
Fairlamb was noticed finding up a police baton which he carried with him into the Capitol, according to prosecutors who had questioned the judge to sentence him to 44 months in jail. He was not found employing it as a weapon.
Fairlamb has presently served extra than 10 months in jail, most of that in solitary confinement, and his defence lawyer experienced questioned the choose to sentence him to time served.
An emotional Fairlamb, who explained he had overall health problems, addressed the judge throughout the listening to, declaring he has “nothing but remorse” for his steps and that he introduced disgrace upon his family’s title, the Reuters information provider described.
“That’s not who I am,” Fairlamb said. “That’s not who I was elevated to be.”
Assistant US Legal professional Leslie Goemaat observed Fairlamb’s martial arts teaching during Wednesday’s court docket hearing, as nicely as previously run-ins with the law.
“He was trained to toss a punch and was perfectly knowledgeable of the harm he could cause,” Goemaat stated.
The affidavit from the FBI in assistance of an arrest warrant for Scott Fairlamb who is the initial man or woman sentenced to prison for assaulting a law enforcement officer all through the riot at the US Capitol [File: Jon Elswick/AP Photo]Prosecutors had identified Fairlamb as a single of the initially rioters to breach the Capitol, and explained in charging documents he incited and emboldened other rioters around him with his violent steps.
Movies of Fairlamb recorded throughout the riots showed him indicating: “What Patriots do? We f***in’ disarm them and then we storm the f***in’ Capitol!”
“The defendant’s very own statements on that day counsel that he came prepared for violence,” Goemaat explained.
US authorities had charged Fairlamb with 12 counts of assault and other crimes dedicated all through the riot but dropped all but two in relationship with his arrangement to plead guilty.
Fairlamb experienced prior convictions for the unauthorised carrying of a handgun and assault in 2010 and 2018, according to his plea arrangement.
Fairlamb’s wife, Andrea, has elevated extra than $30,000 in an on line “Patriot Reduction Fund” appeal on a crowd-funding website.
An eight-month jail expression was formerly the longest sentence amid the practically two dozen rioters who have been sentenced, according to NBC 4 News in Washington, which has been monitoring the January 6 circumstances.
