Former Boston K-9 officer who used chair as weapon on Jan. 6 gets 20 months in prison

A former Boston K-9 officer who used a chair as a weapon during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol was sentenced Friday to nearly a year in prison, officials said.

Joseph Robert Fisher, 52, was sentenced to 20 months in prison and 24 months of supervised release and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

Fisher, a native of Plymouth, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in February to two charges of civil disorder and assaulting an officer.

The defendant, according to the release, attended the “Stop the Steal” rally on January 6, 2021, organized by former President Trump before the insurrection.

“Following the rally, Fisher marched to the Capitol and entered it at approximately 2:24 p.m., within ten minutes of the initial violation,” prosecutors wrote in court documents. “Once inside, Fisher walked to the crypt and took photos and videos while other rioters repeatedly chanted, “Stop the steal.” »

From there, he walked toward the lobby of the Capitol Visitor Center and noticed another rioter in a physical altercation with police, according to the release. He then joined in to help the fellow rioter, who was deploying pepper spray, grabbing a chair and ramming it into the officer.

He was arrested by the FBI in March for the charges against him.

Fisher's case gained national attention after he petitioned the Supreme Court last year to dismiss any charges related to obstruction of an official proceeding.

The high court accepted the challenge and examined the scope of federal obstruction law earlier this year, signaling that judges may be wary of lawsuits brought by the Justice Department. Their decision could have a significant impact on many of the Jan. 6 defendants and the former president.

In the 40 months since the Capitol attack, more than 1,400 people have been charged in nearly all 50 states with crimes related to the breach, including more than 500 people accused of assaulting or obstructing security forces. the order, according to the press release.

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