‘QAnon Shaman’ Capitol rioter sentenced to 41 months in prison

Jacob Chansley had pleaded guilty to obstructing an official proceeding on January 6 when he stormed the US Capitol.

Jacob Chansley has been diagnosed by US prison officials with transient schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety [File: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP]

A federal judge sentenced the “QAnon Shaman” – the US Capitol rioter nicknamed for his horned headdress – to 41 months in prison for his role in the deadly January 6 attack by hundreds of supporters of former President Donald Trump.

The sentence on Wednesday of Jacob Chansley, matches one imposed by a judge on a former mixed martial artist filmed punching a police officer during violence, who was also sentenced last week to 41 months in prison.

Prosecutors had asked US District Judge Royce Lamberth to impose a 51-month sentence on Chansley, who pleaded guilty in September to obstructing an official proceeding when he and thousands of others stormed the building in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s election.

 

 

“Defendant Chansley’s now-famous criminal acts have made him the public face of the Capitol riot,” prosecutors said.

The Defence lawyer said the US Navy in 2006 had found Jacob Chansley suffered from personality disorder but nonetheless declared him “fit for duty.” [File: Cheney Orr/Reuters]

The sentencing sets a benchmark for the more than 100 other defendants who have been charged with crimes on January 6, a now infamous day in US history.

Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives and acquitted by the Senate on a charge of inciting the January 6 riot for a fiery speech that preceded it in which he told his followers to “fight like hell.”

Four people died in the violence. A Capitol Police officer who had been attacked by protesters died the day after the riot and four police officers who took part in the defence of the Capitol later took their own lives. About 140 police officers were injured.

Chansley’s attorneys asked the judge for a sentence of time served for their client, who has been detained since his January arrest. He appeared in court in a dark green prison jumpsuit, with a beard and shaved head.

While in detention, Chansley was diagnosed by prison officials with transient schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety. When he entered his guilty plea, Chansley said he was disappointed Trump had not pardoned him.

Defence lawyer Albert Watkins said the US Navy in 2006 had found Chansley suffered from personality disorder but nonetheless declared him “fit for duty.”

Source: Reuters