Gym owner and former MMA fighter Scott
Fairlamb was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for
punching a police officer during the Capitol riot that took place
in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, according to
Politico.
Fairlamb, 44, is the first defendant charged with assaulting an
officer to face sentencing. Royce Lamberth, the federal judge who
imposed the sentence, said he expects Fairlamb’s term will be lower
than the others who are facing charges stemming from the riot.
Fairlamb’s decision to plead guilty and expression of remorse
helped lower his sentence, according to Lamberth.
“Had you gone to trial, I don’t think there’s any jury that could
have acquitted you or would have acquitted you,” Lamberth said.
“You couldn’t have beat this.”
Fairlamb will also face 36 months of supervised release after he
gets out of prison.
Fairlamb was reportedly one of the first people to enter the
Capitol on Jan. 6, carrying a stolen police baton on his way
through a door that had been kicked open. Prosecutors played a
video of Fairlamb urging the mob onward while saying, “We f—-ing
disarm them and we storm the Capitol.” Fairlamb was also overheard
shouting profanities at police officers. Fairlamb celebrated the
attack in a social media post that was later deleted.
During sentencing, Fairlamb was tearful as he asked for leniency
and claimed that he has a history of supporting law enforcement.
His brother is a Secret Service agent who led former First Lady
Michelle Obama’s security detail.
“That is not Scott
Fairlamb,” Fairlamb said in court. “That’s not who I am. That’s
not who I was raised to be. I truly regret my actions that
day.”
A native of Butler, N.J., Fairlamb has one professional MMA bout to
his credit, a second-round submission loss to Michael
Andrillo at Ring of Combat 31 on September 24, 2010. He also
was the owner of Fairlamb Fit, in Pompton Lakes, N.J, which closed
after his arrest.