Capitol Riot Dating Coach Gets 3 1/2 Years in Prison on N.Y. Gun Charges

(Bloomberg) -- A self-styled dating coach from Manhattan who participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and gushed online about “seeing cops literally run” was sentenced to 3 1/2 years behind bars after his social-media posts tipped off law enforcement to a stash of firearms.

Samuel Fisher, a 33-year-old QAnon conspiracy theorist who ran a Facebook account called “LuxLife Dating Coach” out of his Upper East Side apartment, was sentenced Monday in state court in Manhattan. Fisher wasn't armed during the attack on the Capitol, but his arsenal back home was illegal.

“The defendant chose to arm himself to the teeth with a large variety of dangerous weapons,” Judge Robert Mandelbaum said before handing down the sentence. “The fact that he didn't take action doesn't take away from the seriousness of the offense.”

Fisher, an avid supporter of former President Donald Trump who believed the 2020 election was rigged, pleaded guilty in April 2021 to illegal possession of a modified semi-automatic AR-15 style rifle, a so-called ghost gun pistol, a loaded shotgun and about a dozen pre-loaded high-capacity magazines.

In Washington federal court, Fisher faces a separate criminal case related to the insurrection. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of unlawful entry and disorderly conduct on restricted grounds. He's one of almost 800 people charged with crimes stemming from the attack.

Law enforcement in Washington who identified Fisher as a rioter eventually found his social media posts about guns, including an image of him with AR-15 style weapons in front of a Trump 2020 flag, leading to the Manhattan search warrant. Fisher also posted extensively about his belief in the QAnon conspiracy theory, which posits that the U.S. is secretly run by a “deep state” cabal of blood-drinking communists and pedophiles.

‘Dangerous'

“Samuel Fisher is a dangerous conspiracy theorist who participated in one of the gravest attacks on our democracy,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. “Not only did he threaten to commit violence against his fellow citizens, he had the potential to follow through with his arsenal of advanced weaponry and ammunition.”

Fisher, who has blamed his actions on mental-health issues and alcohol abuse, spoke briefly in court before he was sentenced.

“I know what I did was wrong, and I accept that my actions have consequences,” he said. “I have tried as best I could to make amends to those I hurt and also address the problems that led me here.”

After Riot

The assault weapon was seized from Fisher's apartment a few weeks after the riot during a raid by the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force. Authorities also accessed his social media accounts, which contained a wide array of commentary about his participation in the riot.

“Seeing cops literally run...was the coolest thing ive ever seen in my life,” Fisher said to a friend, according to court filings by the government.

New York state prosecutors said in a pre-sentencing memorandum that a stiff prison term was needed to discourage illegal behavior driven by “toxic” and “politically convenient” rhetoric and conspiracy theories.

On the day of the riot, Fisher published a blog post titled, “January 6, 2021 Will Be the Most Historically Important Day of Our Lives,” to his website, which he ran under the alias “Brad Holiday,” saying then President-elect Joe Biden was a “communist agent” and that Trump had an “ace up his sleeve.”

“Trump just needs to fire the bat signal…deputize patriots…and then the pain comes,” Fisher said, according to court filings.