Jacob Chansley, the Capitol rioter known as the “QAnon shaman” because of his previously espoused belief in the “QAnon” conspiracy theory and the perceptibly shaman-like attire that he wore amid the January violence, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison, although prosecutors had been seeking a 51-month sentence. Chansley was not accused of perpetrating physically violent acts such as assault on law enforcement during the storming of the Capitol, but he did plead guilty to a felony offense: obstruction of an official proceeding. Ordinarily, that charge can carry penalties of up to 20 years behind bars, but one could assume that Chansley’s willingness to accept responsibility was largely responsible for his shorter sentence.
Chansley has been held in custody since his arrest earlier this year, so if those months count towards his sentence, then his time left in prison could be significantly less than 41 months. Originally, Chansley was among the first few dozen rioters to enter the Capitol building, but he has since expressed remorse for his actions. During court proceedings this week, Chansley told federal Judge Royce Lamberth that he “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,” adding that “there’s no ifs, ands or buts about it, that’s what men of honor do.” Lamberth was receptive, calling Chansley’s comments possibly “the most remarkable I’ve heard in 34 years” — but he told Chansley that “what you did here was as horrific as you now concede.”
Chansley — who at one point sought a presidential pardon from Trump — is now among the comparatively small portion of Capitol riot defendants to have formally been issued their punishments. So far, just one of the rioters charged for assaulting police has been sentenced. New Jersey resident Scott Fairlamb, who punched an officer at the Capitol in January, was recently sentenced to 41 months in prison by Judge Lamberth. Overall, more than 210 rioters have been charged for assaulting law enforcement, and plenty of these individuals have apparently opted to continue their march towards trials instead of accepting plea deals. (Fairlamb had previously pleaded guilty.) Those who’ve pleaded guilty have shown more consideration for the events of that day than Trump himself, who has repeatedly defended the actions of the riot crowd.
