Syracuse, N.Y. — A Wayne County man had no plans to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but was simply pressured by a woman who promised to be his girlfriend in exchange for a ride to Washington, D.C., his lawyers said this week.
Scott Columbus, 40, of Wolcott, had never traveled outside of New York, has severe anxiety when driving long distances and didn’t want to make the trip to D.C. at all, but he “very much” wanted to be Renee Fatta’s boyfriend, his lawyers argued in court documents Wednesday. Fatta, 41, lived in Bridgeport, a hamlet partly in Madison County and partly in Onondaga County.