A Maine man was sentenced Thursday to about seven years in prison for his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
The 87-month prison sentence is less than half of what federal prosecutors had suggested for Kyle Fitzsimons of Lebanon, who was convicted on 11 charges back in September. But it remains among the highest sentences delivered in hundreds of Capitol breach cases, according to Justice Department records.
Most of Fitzsimons' charges were felonies, which included four counts of assaulting an officer. Federal prosecutors described Fitzsimons as "one of the most violent and aggressive participants" at the Jan. 6th riot and said that he caused career-ending injuries to a Capitol police officer. They initially asked for a 15-year sentence, and pointed out that Fitzsimmons' charges carried a statutory maximum of more than 90 years in prison.
Fitzsimons' attorneys had argued that he anticipated a peaceful protest on Jan. 6. Fitzsimons has already served about two-and-a-half years in prison, his defense attorney Jonathan McDonald, said Thursday.
Prior to Thursday's sentencing before a federal judge in Washington, McDonald had pointed to the sentences of 17 other Capitol riot participants with similar charges. The cases were meant to "aid the court in determining an appropriate sentence that avoids unwarranted sentencing disparities among defendants with similar records who have been convicted of similar conduct," the July 5 court documents read.
Fitzsimons was the first Mainer charged in the Jan. 6 riot. A handful of others with ties to Maine have been arrested and charged for their involvement in the Capitol insurrection.
