The Justice Department wants to make an example out of the most recognizable rioter from the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.
On Tuesday night, prosecutors recommended a 51-month prison sentence for Jacob Chansley, a.k.a. the ‘QAnon Shaman.’ In September, Chansley pleaded guilty to a felony charge of obstructing Congress’ certification of the 2020 vote. He’s been in jail for 10 months.
The proposed prison term is the longest penalty sought for a January 6th defendant. In court documents, the DOJ called Chansley “the public face of the Capitol riot,” and “quite literally, their flagbearer.”
“The defendant was among the first 30 rioters to penetrate the U.S. Capitol building,” prosecutors wrote. “The defendant then stalked the hallowed halls of the building, riling up other members of the mob with his screaming obscenities about our nation’s lawmakers, and flouting the ‘opportunity‘ to rid our government of those he has long considered to be traitors.”
“The government cannot overstate the seriousness of the defendant’s conduct as a one of the most prominent figures of the historic riot,” the DOJ continued. “The severity of his actions, and respect for the laws of this country, must be impressed upon him.”
CNN reports:
Pictures of Chansley at the Capitol went viral because of a bizarre appearance — shirtless, with face paint and a horned, furry headdress — while leading others through the Capitol, shouting into a bullhorn. As one of the first 30 rioters inside the building, he made his way to the Senate dais that was hastily vacated earlier by Vice President Mike Pence, and left a note, according to his plea documents.
Chansley also carried an American flag on a speared flagpole, which prosecutors have characterized as a weapon.
Since his arrest, Chansley has continued to stay in the public eye, by asking then-President Donald Trump for a pardon, going on a hunger strike in his attempt to get organic food while in custody and by speaking to “60 Minutes” from jail without permission.
Chansley’s lawyer, Albert Watkins, has argued that his client should receive leniency because of a history of mental health problems.
“On January 6, 2021, the images of Mr. Chansley spontaneously and globally became iconic images inextricably linked to and commanding immediate association with the events at the Capitol. They have become to January 6 what the Swoosh is to Nike,” Watkins wrote in a memo to the judge overseeing Chansley’s case. “These initial, emotion-driven impressions of Mr. Chansley should have been tempered by what in hindsight were obvious indicia of mental health vulnerabilities.”
The Washington Post adds:
According to the memorandum, Chansley was named an “oddball” by classmates and bullied throughout his schooling. During his time in the U.S. Navy from 2006 to 2007, Chansley consulted the ship’s medical doctor on whether he was “crazy” and, after consultations, was diagnosed as having a “Schizotypal Personality Disorder,” the memorandum says. Watkins said, however, that his client was not given proper treatment after this diagnosis and was not even told of the diagnosis.
Chansley continued on his own spiritual path as a “loner” until he became involved with social media following President Donald Trump’s run for reelection in 2020, which Watkins said created a “powerful socio stressor” that triggered Chansley’s undisclosed disorder, which in turn led to his actions at the Capitol.
U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth will sentence Chansley next week.