N.J. Man Becomes First Capitol Rioter Sentenced for Assaulting an Officer
Written by SOURCE on November 11, 2021
A New Jersey man was sentenced to over three years in prison after pleading guilty to assaulting a law enforcement officer during the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, AP News reports.
Scott Fairlamb, 44, a gym owner, security guard, and former MMA fighter, was given 41 months behind bars, and three years probation after striking a plea deal in which he agreed to cooperate with the FBI and pay $2,000 in restitution. His sentence is the harshest of the 32 individuals who have been sentenced for their involvement in the Capitol riots.
“I take full responsibility for what I did that day,” Fairlamb said. “That’s not who I am. That’s not who I was raised to be.” Prosecutors for the Justice Department recommended that the judge sentence him to three years and eight months after showing clips where Fairlamb can be seen antagonizing an officer before shoving and punching him.
Fairlamb posted a video of himself on social media as he was about to enter the Capitol, saying, “We fucking disarm them and then we storm the fucking Capitol,” while wielding a baton.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth told Fairlamb that his behavior at the Capitol struck “at the heart of our democracy.” Lamberth added, “Had you gone to trial, I don’t think there’s any jury that could have acquitted you or would have acquitted you.”
