US Capitol rioter sentenced to longest term yet as 'Shaman' awaits

WASHINGTON

A former Mixed Martial Artist who assaulted a police officer during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol was sentenced Wednesday to 41 months behind bars.

The sentence handed down to Scott Fairlamb from US District Court Judge Royce Lamberth marks the longest prison term yet given to someone involved in the Capitol riot.

Fairlamb pleaded guilty in August to assaulting an officer and will be credited for time served during the trial.

Prosecutors had sought a 44-month term for Fairlamb, a far cry from the 11 months sought by his defense team.

But Lamberth cited the seriousness of the offense in explaining his decision, saying it was "an affront to society and to the law to have the Capitol overrun and the function of government stopped."

The assault, said Lamberth, according to CNN, struck "in the heart of our democracy." The judge noted that Fairlamb's decision to plead guilty was the wise choice because if the case were to have gone to trial "I don't think there's any jury that could have acquitted you."

"You couldn't have beat this," he said.

Emboldened by former President Donald Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, a group of his supporters stormed the Capitol in a bid to prevent Congress from carrying out a key step ahead of President Joe Biden's inauguration. Nearly 700 people have been arrested in connection with the insurrection.

Fairlamb’s sentence does not bode well for fellow Capitol rioter Jacob Chansley, infamously known as the "QAnon Shaman." Prosecutors recommended Tuesday that Chansley, who pleaded guilty in September to obstructing an official proceeding, be sentenced to more than five years in prison.

"The gravity of these offenses demands deterrence. This was not a protest," prosecutors wrote in their sentencing recommendation.

"It is important to convey to future rioters and would-be mob participants—especially those who intend to improperly influence the democratic process—that their actions will have consequences. There is possibly no greater factor that this Court must consider," they added.

Chansley donned a now-famous ensemble of clothing during the riot that included face paint and animal skin headgear as he strode through the Capitol amid widespread pandemonium.

He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 17 by Lamberth.