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'QAnon Shaman' sentenced to 41 months over Capitol riots

November 17, 2021

The rioter made famous for his tattoos and horned headdress was sentenced to 41 months behind bars for his role in the deadly storming of the US Capitol building. It is one of the stiffest sentences yet handed down.

https://p.dw.com/p/437aX
Jacob Chansley on a megaphone
Images of Jacob Chansley soon went viral after the attack on the US CapitolImage: Douglas Christian/Zumapress/picture alliance

A US federal judge in Washington DC on Wednesday sentenced Jacob Chansley, dubbed the "QAnon Shaman," to 41 months in prison for taking part in the January 6 storming of the US Capitol building. 

Chansley pleaded guilty in September to obstructing an official proceeding.

He and a mob of supporters of former US President Donald Trump stormed the building in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's election. He has been detained since January.

Prosecutors described how during the riot, Chansley had taken then-Vice President Mike Pence's seat on the dais in the Senate chamber, and left behind a message saying: "It's only a matter of time. Justice is coming."

Video footage showed Chansley in the chamber with a US flag on a spear, giving a long howl and shouting, "time's up."

'QAnon Shaman' given 41 months jail term - DW's Carolina Chimoy reports

What did the judge say?

"What you did was so serious that I cannot justify a sentence lower than what was suggested by federal sentencing guidelines," Judge Royce Lamberth said. 

Chansley's 41-month sentence is still less than the maximum 51-month sentence asked for by prosecutors. 

It matches a sentence Lamberth imposed last week on a former mixed martial artist filmed punching a police officer during the violence. 

The two are the stiffest sentences yet handed down in any of the roughly 675 Capitol riot prosecutions.

Who is the 'QAnon Shaman'?

The 34-year-old Arizona native became one of the most recognized Capitol rioters after images of him shirtless, carrying a spear and sporting a horned fur hat went viral after the infamous day. 

Jacob Chansley (c) seen in the Capitol
Chansley was diagnosed with several mental disorders while in prisonImage: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP/picture alliance

Chansley earned his moniker as an adherent of QAnon, the far-right conspiracy theory network blamed for fueling the unrest. 

Before sentencing, Chansley gave a long, rambling statement to the court in Washington DC expressing his remorse.

"I was wrong for entering the Capitol. I had no excuse," he said. "The hardest part of this is that I know I am to blame," he added. 

"I'm not an insurrectionist. I'm certainly not a domestic terrorist," he said. 

While in detention, Chansley was diagnosed by prison officials with transient schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety.

Can the US find unity?

wmr/fb (AP, Reuters)