A New Jersey gym owner and Donald Trump supporter who harassed and assaulted officers during the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol pleaded guilty to two counts on Friday ― becoming the first Capitol attack defendant to enter a guilty plea in connection with an assault on law enforcement.
Scott Fairlamb, whose father was a New Jersey trooper and whose brother was on Michelle Obama’s Secret Service detail, pleaded guilty to two counts: one of obstruction of an official proceeding, and one of assaulting an officer.
Both counts are felonies, and the plea agreement states that the sentencing guidelines call for between 41 months minimum and 51 months maximum imprisonment. Fairlamb’s lawyer can argue for less prison time at sentencing.
Fairlamb’s attorney, Harley Breite, told HuffPost earlier this week that his client wanted to “assume responsibility for the things that he did” and “make amends for them and move on with his life.” Fairlamb has been incarcerated since his arrest in January.
In video footage and social media posts presented by the government, Fairlamb can be seen harassing and assaulting officers during the attack on the Capitol. He screamed about disarming police, and got in an officer’s face and asked him if he was an American.
An associate of Fairlamb told HuffPost after his arrest in January that over the past eight to 10 years, the former MMA fighter and gym owner “got pulled more and more into the conspiracy theory vortex and pushed everything in his life aside for it.”
“Trump’s first campaign set his targets on [Hillary Clinton] and ‘lock her up,’ then it moved to QAnon type stuff over the last few years and ultimately resulted in his participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot,” the acquaintance told HuffPost.
“I feel for his wife, family, employees and community, but I have zero empathy for him,” the acquaintance said. “He’s had too many chances over the years to correct his pattern of bullying behavior ― all while portraying himself as a ‘good guy with a Batman cape’ in his hometown.”
The FBI has made more than 550 arrests in connection with the Jan. 6 attack. Hundreds more arrests are in the works as part of the most sprawling FBI investigation in American history.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.