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Wednesday, March 27, 2024 | Back issues
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Capitol rioter heading to prison for over 5 years in longest sentence yet

Robert Scott Palmer assaulted police officers with a wooden plank and a fire extinguisher on Jan. 6.

WASHINGTON (CN) — A federal judge handed down the longest sentence yet to a Capitol rioter on Friday: over five years behind bars for a man who violently assaulted police.

“I was horrified and absolutely devastated so see the coldness and calculation when I went up those steps,” Robert Scott Palmer said during his sentencing hearing, describing the moment when he made his way to the front of the line of rioters, threw a wooden plank at the officers, sprayed the contents of the fire extinguisher at them and then threw the fire extinguisher. “I was so ashamed that I was a part of it.”

Palmer, 54, also threw a 5-foot pole at another group of law enforcement officers like a spear. He later posted a statement that his actions were a reaction to being tear-gassed. 

“After you saw yourself on videotape, perhaps now you understand how terrified the rest of the country must have been,” said U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who has imposed harsher sentences for Capitol rioters than many other judges.

Palmer’s sentencing guideline range was 46-57 months when he pleaded guilty in October. After he engaged in a post-plea fundraiser to raise money for himself, however, the government resolved that Palmer shouldn’t get credit for accepting responsibility and upped his sentencing guideline range to 63-78 months. 

Palmer said that the fundraiser was spurred by the stress of incarceration, and asked Chutkan to go drastically below the sentencing guidelines to 18-24 months. 

“After realizing the idiocy of his decision, he had the website removed and refunded all of the donations he received,” Palmer’s defense attorney Bjorn Erik Burnvand said. 

But, Chutkan declined, saying that the fundraiser still shows a lack of accepting responsibility. 

“You’re not being sentenced for your political views,” Chutkan said. “You engaged in combat with law enforcement. That’s what you’re being punished for.”

Later, on Friday, a federal judge denied the request of another Capitol rioter who assaulted law enforcement from getting out of jail. 

“It’s pretty shocking someone would take someone’s shield against a violent mob,” U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden said of Robert Morss, an ex-teacher who organized rioters to take shields from police officers and then push against them. 

“Shield wall, shield wall!” Morss shouted as he pushed against officers. 

Categories / Criminal, Politics

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