Lev Radin/Pacific Press/Zuma

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A New Jersey man who was captured on video hitting a police officer in the head outside the Capitol on January 6 has been sentenced to 41 months in prison by a federal judge, the most serious sentence yet stemming from the attack.

Scott Fairlamb, a 44-year-old gym owner and former MMA fighter, pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer. He was the first Capitol rioter sentenced for violence against the police, and the federal judge’s highly awaited decision will likely serve as a benchmark for how other January 6 insurrectionists charged with violence will be punished. Most other Capitol riot cases have dealt with nonviolent offenders charged with misdemeanors and sentenced to minimal, if any, jail time.

In a video, Fairlamb can be seen in a camouflage jacket shoving and then punching a Capitol Police officer. Other evidence showed Fairlamb posing with an “AREA CLOSED” sign outside the Capitol and encouraging others to storm the building.

Prosecutors had recommended a 44-month sentence. The judge, Royce Lamberth, said that Fairlamb’s guilty plea and and expression of remorse earned him a lesser sentence than what other offenders might receive. “Had you gone to trial, I don’t think there’s any jury that could have acquitted you,” he said.

“I truly regret my actions that day,” Fairlamb told the judge. “I have nothing but remorse.” Still, that hasn’t stopped him from raising more than $30,000 in an online fundraiser since his arrest.

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