'QAnon Shaman' Sentenced To 41 Months In Prison For Capitol Riot

PHOENIX, AZ — "QAnon Shaman" Jacob Chansley has been sentenced to 41 months in prison and three years of probation for his part in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

The Justice Department had recommended that Chansley serve 51 months in prison.

During the sentencing, Judge Royce Lamberth seemed to agree with prosecutors that Chansley had made himself the face of the riot, according to a CNN report.

"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."

The judge said he believed that Chansley felt genuine remorse for his crime, but said the severity of Chansley's transgressions warranted prison time, CBS News reported. In addition to prison time and probation, Chansley was also ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.

Chansley, who is from Phoenix, doesn't have a criminal history but the prosecution recommended the multi-year sentence precisely because they said Chansley served as the face of the insurrection. During the riot, Chansley donned a furry, horned viking hat and was shirtless, wearing body paint and carrying an American flag. He had a bullhorn in his hand, and is accused of shouting obscenities and threats of violence while inside the capitol building.

Chansley was initially charged with several crimes for his actions on Jan. 6, but because of a plea agreement, he was sentenced for a single charge of obstructing an official proceeding.

He pleaded guilty to that charge in September.

Chansley mentioned Jesus, Gandhi and the movie "The Shawshank Redemption," in a lengthy statement prior to his sentencing, according to the CBS News report. He also repeatedly expressed remorse for his actions.

Chansley asked the judge Wednesday for a sentence of time served, as he's been in jail since his Jan. 11 arrest in Phoenix. Over the last 10 months he has repeatedly asked to be released.

"I am in no way shape or form a dangerous criminal," Chansley said, according to the CBS News report. "I am not a violent man. I am not an insurrectionist. I am certainly not a domestic terrorist."

Prosecutors painted Chansley as a leader in the insurrection, saying in court documents that he, "used his social media presence to spread the type of false information and hateful rhetoric that led thousands of rioters to descend on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021."

At the time, Chansley had thousands of followers on several social media platforms including Facebook, Parler and YouTube.

On Nov. 19, 2020, Chansley posted on Facebook, "We shall have no real hope to survive the enemies arrayed against us until we hang the traitors lurking among us."

The prosecution said that Chansley was among the first 30 people to break into the Capitol building on Jan. 6. He's then accused of using his bullhorn to "rile up the crowd" and of yelling obscenities within the Senate gallery.

He then climbed the dais and took Vice President Mike Pence's seat and snapped selfies in Pence's chair. He left a note on Pence's desk that read, "It’s Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming!" As he was escorted from the building about an hour after entering, Chansley continued to yell, "Freedom" into his bullhorn, according to court documents.

In an interview with NBC News following the insurrection, Chansley said that he considered the day "a win." But after his arrest in Phoenix on Jan. 9, Chansley changed his tune and has since denounced the teachings of QAnon. Chansley has been in jail since his arrest.

Since Jan. 6, more than 675 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states on suspicion of crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, according to the Department of Justice. More than 210 people have been charged on suspicion of assaulting or impeding law enforcement on Jan. 6.