Photo: U.S. attorney's office
A Florida man involved in the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol has been given the longest prison sentence to date. Robert Scott Palmer was sentenced to more than five years behind bars for attacking police officers.
During the riot, Palmer threw a fire extinguisher at officers and attacked them with a wooden plank and metal pole. He pleaded guilty to a felony charge of assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon in October.
The judge handed down a 63-month sentence, which is what prosecutors had requested. They hope that Palmer's lengthy sentence will serve as a benchmark for the other 140 defendants facing the same charges and will deter any future violence.
"Every day, we are hearing about reports of antidemocratic factions, people plotting potential violence in 2024," District Judge Tanya Chutkan said during Palmer's sentencing hearing. "It has to be made clear that trying to stop the peaceful transition of power, assaulting law enforcement, is going to be met with certain punishment. Not staying at home, not watching Netflix, not doing what you were doing before you got arrested."