New Jersey Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for Assaulting Law Enforcement in Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

            WASHINGTON – A New Jersey man was sentenced today to 41 months in prison for assaulting a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer and committing other criminal conduct during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election. The defendant is the first to be sentenced of the more than 210 individuals charged in this investigation with the federal offense of assault on a police officer.

            According to court documents, Scott Kevin Fairlamb, 44, of Stockholm, N.J., traveled to Washington on Jan. 6 to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally. After arriving on Capitol grounds, Fairlamb climbed the scaffolding on the West Terrace, where he recorded and posted a video to Instagram in which he stated, “We ain’t f****** leaving either! We ain’t f****** leaving!”

            According to his plea, Fairlamb followed a large crowd that, moments earlier, had forcibly pushed through a line of police officers and metal barricades. He obtained a collapsible police baton from the ground and posted a video to Facebook displaying the baton. In the video he said, “What Patriots do? We f****** disarm them and then we storm the f****** Capitol.” He carried the police baton when he illegally entered the building and walked past broken glass of a shattered window. Once he exited, Fairlamb inserted himself into a line of MPD officers where he, unprovoked, shoved and punched an officer.

            Fairlamb pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia on Aug. 6, 2021, to obstruction of an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. He has been in custody since his arrest on Jan. 22, 2021. In addition to the prison term, Judge Royce C. Lamberth ordered him to pay $2,000 in restitution. He also must serve a period of three years of supervised release following the completion of his prison term.

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Justice Department's National Security Division prosecuted the case, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey. The FBI’s Washington and Newark Field Offices investigated the case, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In the ten months since Jan. 6, more than 675 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 210 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

            Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.