WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, Brandon Fellows, a defendant in the Jan. 6 Schenectady case, was handed a sentence of over three years in federal prison, following his conviction in August, as per court documents.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden sentenced Fellows, an alumnus of Niskayuna High School, to a total of 3 years and 1 month in prison.
This sentence is to be served consecutively to his previous six-month sentence for criminal contempt.
According to WUSA9, a Washington-based news outlet, the judge reprimanded Fellows during the sentencing. WUSA reporter Jordan Fischer, who has been closely following the Jan. 6 prosecutions, quoted the judge as telling Fellows, “It’s time for you to grow up!”
Federal prosecutors had previously argued for a sentence of 3 years, 1 month in federal prison for Fellows, which they described as “a sentence at the high end of the Guideline range calculated by the government.”
Prosecutors stated that this proposed sentence reflects the severity of Fellows’ actions, his consistent lack of remorse, and his complete disregard for the court and the rule of law.
Fellows was found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; entering and remaining in certain rooms of the Capitol building; and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.
During the trial, Fellows had already been held in contempt of court, and the jury had expressed concern about whether the defendant had access to their personal information, as per court records.
Previously, the judge had sentenced Fellows to five months for contempt, to be served at the end of the trial.
Fellows has been in custody since June 2021 for violating his release conditions. He will receive credit for time served, according to WUSA.
Prosecutors detailed how Fellows “cheered on the violent mob” before entering the Capitol through a broken window and sat at a senator’s table smoking marijuana. As he left, he “paraded” and taunted police officers.
They also highlighted Fellows’ behavior in court, which included referring to the court as a “kangaroo court,” a “modern-day Nazi court,” and interrupting the foreperson as she announced the verdict, shouting over her, “This is how you radicalize people!”
Prosecutors wrote, “Fellows has repeatedly made it clear that he believes that his actions were justified and has gone to great lengths to spread that message for more than two and half years, through the media, social media, and his testimony at trial. Accordingly, a significant period of incarceration is necessary to deter him from similar action in the future.”
Disagree with sentence length.