First January 6 Capitol riot defendant to plead guilty to assaulting police is sentenced
The first Capitol riot defendant to plead guilty to assaulting an officer has been sentenced to 41 months in prison, the harshest sentence yet imposed for the attack.
Judge Royce Lamberth sentenced ex-MMA fighter Scott Fairlamb to approximately three and a half years in prison and three years probation for assaulting an officer while he was part of the violent mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6 in support of former President Trump.
Fairlamb entered court wearing an orange prison uniform and mask. He hugged his attorney and winked at his mother, sister and wife, who were in the courtroom. He was emotional as he addressed Lamberth, who seemed to show some sympathy for him.
"I was raised by the best," Fairlamb said of his family through tears, adding, "have mercy on me, sir."
Fairlamb, 44, pleaded guilty to two crimes earlier this year — obstruction of an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. As part of his plea deal, he also agreed to cooperate with the FBI through an interview and pay $2,000 in restitution.
The gym owner, bar bouncer and security guard was ordered detained following his January after prosecutors cited the gravity of his alleged offense and his lengthy criminal history, which includes at least two prior assault convictions and "violent impulses."
Investigators built their case against Fairlamb with the help of at least four tipsters, who shared videos, some taken by Fairlamb himself, that painted a picture of his conduct throughout the day of January 6, as he climbed scaffolding, shouted at officers and entered the Capitol building.
In one video, prosecutors said, Fairlamb can be seen shoving and punching an officer on the West Front of the Capitol. CBS News and the press coalition were granted access to a few of the videos prosecutors used to build their case.
On Wednesday, Fairlamb addressed the court about his behavior on January 6, calling it "completely irresponsible, reckless behavior."
"I truly regret my actions that day," he said.
Prosecutors, who showed some profanity-laced videos of Fairlamb in court Wednesday during the attack, asked for 44 months in prison.
They described the attack on an officer and said the officer recounted it as the "scariest day of his career."
Fairlamb's attorney, Harley Breite, who also happens to be an MMA coaching client, defended his Fairlamb's character and claimed he had been ill-treated in the District of Columbia jail where Fairlamb is being held.
He said Fairlamb no longer holds the beliefs that inspired him to join the rioting. And he said that in the D.C. jail, the ex-MMA fighter faced threats of violence. Breite also told Lamberth that the jail made it difficult for him to convey information to his client.
He also said that Fairlamb has agreed to be interviewed by the January 6 House select committee, but so far, the jail has not allowed investigators in to interview him.
Outside of court, Breite continued to rail against D.C. jail. "Conditions in the DC jail are repugnant," he said. "They're embarrassing, and they're a disgrace to every penal system in this country."
Fairlamb has asked to serve his time in a federal prison in New Jersey, so that he can be close to his family.
