An ex-MMA fighter wept as he begged for mercy before being sentenced to 41 months in prison for punching an officer during the Capitol ...
An ex-MMA fighter wept as he begged for mercy before being sentenced to 41 months in prison for punching an officer during the Capitol riot - the longest sentence a rioter has received yet.
Scott Fairlamb, 44, of New Jersey was also the first person sentenced for assaulting a law enforcement officer during the January 6 Capitol riot.
Judge Royce Lamberth's decision was considered a 'canary in the coal mine' by prosecutors who said that Wednesday foreshadowed what more than 120 other defendants face for attacking police that day.
Scott Fairlamb, 44, (pictured with his Andrea) of New Jersey was sentenced to 44 months for two counts related to the Capitol riot - one for obstruction of an official proceeding and one for assaulting the police officer
'Had you gone to trial, I don't think there's any jury that could have acquitted you,' the judge said as he announced the sentence.
According to NBC Washington Fairlamb wept in court at the 11am hearing and apologized for disgracing his family's name after his veteran father proudly served in the US military.
With 'I truly regret my actions that day. I have nothing but remorse,' he said, as he asked the judge for mercy.
A video from January 6 that was used in court showed Fairlamb, dressed in a camouflaged jacket, navy blue scarf and black beanie, yelling at an officer. When another cop approached Fairlamb from behind to seemingly get him to calm down, the former fighter shoved the man.
Videos from January 6 showed Fairlamb punching an officer's helmet and climbing a scaffolding while holding a baton and shouting: 'What patriots do? We f***ing disarm them and then we storm the f***ing Capitol!'
He punched an officer in the helmet. Prosecutors at the trial cited Fairlamb's background in MMA fighting
The gym owner and former fighter was also recorded pointing in the cop's face. At Wednesday's trial he reportedly teared up and called his behavior 'irresponsible' and 'reckless'
Then, when the officer swatted Fairlamb's pointing finger out of his face Fairlamb hit him back even harder.
Fairlamb called his behavior 'irresponsible' and 'reckless,' and said he 'takes responsibility' for his actions before referencing health problems related to cancer and cardiac issues, as reported by NBC.
It is unclear why Fairlamb noted his health issues.
Enraged prosecutors also demanded that the judge fine Fairlamb, who reportedly solicited donations totaling $30,000 since the riot. They argued it's 'not right' for him to financially benefit from the attack on the Capitol.
Justice Department lawyer Leslie Goemaat also highlighted Fairlamb's martial arts training during Wednesday's hearing, as well as earlier run-ins with the law.
'He was trained to throw a punch and was well aware of the injury he could cause,' Goemaat said.
But Fairlamb's defense attorney argued that a 'time-served' sentence was sufficient enough as it was 'rare' to see such a 'commendable' person 'take such a wrong step,' according to NBC.
The attorney also said that making Fairlamb wait for his hearing in jail was harsh.
The lawyer had asked Lamberth to 'take into consideration the approximate 11 months his client has already served in custody,' and not add additional time.
Lamberth later announced that on top of his prison term Fairlamb was ordered to pay $2,000 and be under supervised release for three years after his jail time.
Fairlamb pleaded guilty to two counts - one for obstruction of an official proceeding and one for assaulting the police officer.
The counts carry a maximum of more than 20 years in prison but sentencing guidelines calculated by the court's probation department recommend a term of imprisonment ranging from 41 to 51 months, as reported by NBC.
Lamberth was not bound by any of the recommendations but prosecutors called for a 44-month sentence.
Fairlamb was caught after four people tipped the FBI to videos of the Capitol riot where Fairlamb was recorded holding an officer's baton
Fairlamb, dressed in a camouflaged jacket, navy blue scarf and black beanie, was also filmed yelling at an officer. At his sentencing he apologized for disgracing his family's name after his veteran father proudly served in the US military
An officer's body camera footage also captured Fairlamb (circled in red) at the Capitol
The New Jersey Herald revealed that Fairlamb was caught after four people tipped the FBI to videos of the Capitol riot where Fairlamb was recorded punching an officer's helmet and climbing a scaffolding holding a baton.
'What patriots do? We f***ing disarm them and then we storm the f***ing Capitol!' he was heard shouting in the clips.
The people reportedly identified Fairlamb by a tattoo on the back of his hand and he was arrested shortly after - on January 22 at his home in Stockholm, New Jersey.
He has been awaiting trial at the Hudson County Correctional Facility ever since.
Based off his social media accounts, Fairlamb supported QAnon conspiracy theories and promoted claims that Trump would become the first president of 'the new Republic' on March 4, prosecutors wrote.
Fairlamb, a former MMA fighter, owned a gym called Fairlamb Fit just 14 miles from his east coast home. However, the gym is listed as temporarily closed and has taken down all of its social media pages.
Most of the guilty pleas in January 6 prosecutions have been in cases involving non-violent misdemeanors, but government lawyers are now seeking prison sentences for some defendants facing more serious felony charges.
Prosecutors in a late-night court filing recommended a four-year, three-month sentence for Jacob Chansley, the participant in the riots nicknamed the 'QAnon Shaman'.
Lamberth, who is also handling Chansley's case, will sentence him on November 17.
Chansley´s attorney Albert Watkins said in a Tuesday court filing that Chansley should be released 'as soon as possible,' noting that he will have spent more than 10 months in pretrial detention.
No comments