By Mark Hosenball
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A South Carolina man who admitted hurling objects at police guarding the U.S. Capitol complex during the Jan. 6 riot by Donald Trump supporters pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a felony charge, which could land him in jail for years.
Nicholas Languerand, 26, of Little River, South Carolina, told U.S. District Judge John Bates that he was guilty of one count of an indictment alleging he assaulted a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.
Languerand has already served six months of pretrial detention. Bates told him that under federal sentencing guidelines he faces a prison term of between 46 and 57 months and a fine of $20,000 to $200,000.
More than 660 people have been charged with taking part in the attack, an unsuccessful attempt to stop Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential election victory, which Trump falsely claimed was the result of widespread fraud.
Also on Wednesday, prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth to impose 44 months imprisonment on Scott Fairlamb, a former mixed martial arts fighter from Stockholm, New Jersey, who shoved a District of Columbia policeman and punched his face shield.
“A 44-month sentence reflects the gravity of Fairlamb’s conduct, but also acknowledges his early admission of guilt,” prosecutors said in a court filing.
(Reporting By Mark Hosenball; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
