'QAnon Shaman' Given Absurd Prison Sentence Following Jan. 6 Incident At US Capitol

'QAnon Shaman' Given Absurd Prison Sentence Following Jan. 6 Incident At US Capitol


The man known as “QAnon Shaman” who was seen dressed in animal skins and wearing horns as he entered the U.S. Capitol Building Jan. 6 has been sentenced to an inordinate amount of time behind bars.

Jacob Chansley was sentenced to 41 months behind bars plus time he’s already served in waiting for his case to be adjudicated, reports noted Wednesday.

“Chansley, a 34-year-old Arizona resident, was arrested days following the riot and was indicted on six charges, two of which were felonies. He struck a plea deal with the government and pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a single count of obstruction of an official proceeding,” the Washington Examiner reported.

“What you did here was horrific, as you now concede,” U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth said. “It is the type of conduct that is so serious that I cannot justify downward departure.”

CNN added:

Lamberth asked only a few questions — about Chansley’s leaving a note for Pence and whether he knew of other threats to Pence’s life coming from the crowd, and about his choices that day.

“He made himself the image of the riot, didn’t he?” Lamberth said to Chansley’s defense attorney. “For good or bad, he made himself the very image of this whole event.”

Prosecutor Kimberly Paschall used several videos to show Chansley’s entrance into the Capitol building and Senate chamber, yelling along with the crowd. “That is not peaceful.”

Earlier, prosecutors had recommended that Chansley serve a 51-month sentence for his role in the Capital breach as Congress prepared to certify the electoral college votes for then-President-elect Joe Biden.

The Washington Examiner noted further:

During his sentencing hearing Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Paschall described the defendant as a primary instigator of the riot despite the fact he did not assault anyone during the violent scene.

Paschall claimed Chansley’s actions were not “peaceful,” pointing to video evidence from inside the Capitol, where he yelled “Time’s up, motherf***er!” Paschall also cited a written note Chansley left on then-Vice President Mike Pence’s desk, which read, “Justice is coming.”

“If the defendant had been peaceful on that day, your honor, we would not be here,” Paschall said.

In addition, prosecutors argued that Chansley refused to comply with law enforcement personnel once inside the Capitol.

Al Watkins, Chansley’s defense attorney, asked the court for leniency, arguing that jail psychologists diagnosed him with several mental illnesses, to include transient schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety.

“I was in solitary confinement because of me, because of my decision. I broke the law. … I should do what Gandhi would do and take responsibility,” Chansley noted Wednesday as he testified for around 30 minutes.

“There’s no ifs, and, or buts about it. That’s what men of honor do,” he added, pledging never to break the law again. He added, in response to Lamberth’s questioning, that he is not a terrorist or insurrectionist, but rather a “good man who broke the law.”

“Chansley became synonymous with the riot after he was pictured multiple times carrying a 6-foot pole with a spearhead into the federal building, wearing a fur hat with horns while covered in red and blue face paint,” the Examiner reported.

“The defendant became known as the “QAnon Shaman” prior to the Jan. 6 riot and was reportedly spotted at previous rallies and marches,” the outlet continued.

In total as of this week, 695 have been charged or sentenced in connection with the Jan. 6 riot, which former President Donald Trump has been accused of inciting.

While behind bars, Chansley made an appeal to Trump for a pardon before he left office.


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