Poli Alert Political & Civics
Related Articles
An Iowa man was sentenced to more than seven years in prison Tuesday for restraining former DC Police Officer Mike Fanone while other rioters assaulted him on Jan. 6.
Kyle Young, 38, of Redfield, Iowa, pleaded guilty in May to one felony count of assaulting, resisting or impeding a police officer. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop a number of other felony charges, including a second count of assaulting, resisting or impeding 30-year U.S. Capitol Police Officer Morris Moore.
Though Young was facing sentencing Tuesday on only a single charge, prosecutors argued his significant criminal history and his role in the brutal assault on Fanone – as well as other assaultive acts for which he was not charged, including helping another rioter throw a speaker at police – warranted 86 months, or a little more than seven years, in prison. Fanone, who along with Moore gave a victim impact statement on Tuesday, asked for ten years.
Fanone has spoken publicly on many occasions about his brutal assault on Jan. 6, in which rioters repeatedly beat and tased him until he lost consciousness and threatened to use his own gun to kill him. On Tuesday, Fanone said the “sterile” description of what Young pleaded guilty to – restraining his wrist while other rioters attacked him – didn’t capture the full measure of what he’d done.
“The assault on me by Mr. Young cost me my career,” Fanone said. “It cost me my faith in law enforcement and many of the institutions I spent two decades of my life serving.”
Fanone had worked as an undercover narcotics officer with DC Police prior to Jan. 6. He left the department in December, in part because the publicity surrounding reporting on his attack and his appearance before the January 6th Committee made him too recognizable to continue in that role.
Young spoke briefly at the hearing, apologizing to Fanone and saying what he did “eats at me every day.” His attorney, Sam Moore, said Young had immediately regretted what he’d done and that he’d involved his 16-year-old son, who went to the Capitol with him, in such a violent event.
Moore asked for a sentence of 24 months that would have been far below the guideline range of 77-96 months Young faced. Before delivering her sentence, U.S. District Judge Amy B. Jackson said Moore had downplayed Young’s conduct too much in his sentencing memo. Young had, she pointed out, provided another rioter named Danny Rodriguez with the stun gun he’s accused of using twice against Fanone’s neck, and even showed him how to turn it on. In a separate case, Rodriguez was indicted on eight counts and is scheduled to begin trial in February.
