QAnon Shaman Sentenced to 41 Months for Role in Capitol Riot

Jacob Chansley, the erstwhile histrion and Navy sailor amended known arsenic the QAnon Shaman, who was portrayed by a authoritative arsenic “the flag-bearer” of the Jan. 6 onslaught connected the Capitol, was sentenced connected Wednesday to 41 months successful prison.

Mr. Chansley, 34, emerged arsenic 1 of the riot’s astir acquainted figures, mostly due to the fact that of the outlandish costume helium wore that day: a horned helmet, a fur pelt draped crossed his bare shoulders and a heavy patina of red-white-and-blue look paint.

Images of him lasting connected the Senate level hollering and brandishing a spear made from a flagpole changeable astir the world, a stark reminder of the relation played successful the battle by adherents of QAnon, the cultlike conspiracy mentation embraced by immoderate backers of erstwhile President Donald J. Trump.

Mr. Chansley’s sentence, handed down by Judge Royce C. Lamberth of Federal District Court successful Washington, brought an extremity not lone to 1 of the astir wide publicized Capitol cases, but besides to 1 of the strangest. Not agelong aft the attack, Mr. Chansley’s lawyer, Albert Watkins, announced that his lawsuit wanted Mr. Trump to pardon him and aboriginal offered to person him attest astatine the erstwhile president’s 2nd impeachment trial.

In February, Mr. Watkins persuaded a national justice to bid the jailhouse successful Virginia wherever Mr. Chansley has been detained for astir of his lawsuit to service a strict fare of integrated meals. The adjacent month, Mr. Chansley gave a wide watched interrogation to “60 Minutes,” saying that his actions connected Jan. 6 were not an battle connected the nation, but alternatively a mode to “bring God backmost into the Senate.”

This circuslike ambiance continued connected Wednesday arsenic scores of radical attended a tribunal proceeding wherever Mr. Watkins asked Judge Lamberth to heal the country’s divisions by issuing a just sentence. Mr. Watkins told the justice that helium could “mete retired justness and stress communal crushed upon which each of america tin someway span this large divide.”

When Mr. Chansley addressed the court, helium quoted Jesus, Gandhi and Justice Clarence Thomas. He went connected to sermon his tattoos, his precocious grandfather’s relation successful his beingness and the situation movie “The Shawshank Redemption.”

He besides apologized for his relation successful attacking the Capitol, saying that successful the days since, helium has often looked into the reflector and told himself, “You truly messed up, royally.”

More than 30 radical person been sentenced successful transportation with the Capitol attack, astir of whom person avoided situation clip by pleading blameworthy to insignificant crimes similar disorderly behaviour oregon illegally parading successful the building. Last week, a erstwhile New Jersey gym proprietor was besides fixed 41 months successful situation for punching a constabulary officer during the riot — the archetypal of astir 200 riot cases of radical charged with battle to scope the sentencing phase.

Mr. Chansley pleaded guilty successful September to a azygous felony number of obstructing an authoritative proceeding earlier Congress. In tribunal connected Wednesday, Mr. Watkins argued for leniency connected his behalf saying, among different things, that helium had lived for respective years with intelligence illness. After an evaluation, Judge Lamberth recovered Mr. Chansley competent capable to proceed with his case.

Understand the Claim of Executive Privilege successful the Jan. 6. Inquiry

The authorities had recommended that helium beryllium sentenced to 51 months successful prison, saying that agelong earlier Jan. 6, Mr. Chansley encouraged his ample societal media pursuing to “identify traitors successful our government” and to “stop the steal” — a notation to Mr. Trump’s repeated lies that the 2020 predetermination was marred by fraud.

Two weeks aft the statesmanlike contention ended, Mr. Chansley was already promoting unit online, prosecutors say, posting a connection that read, “We shall person nary existent anticipation to past the enemies arrayed against america until we bent the traitors lurking among us.”

On Jan. 6, the authorities says, Mr. Chansley was among the archetypal 30 rioters to participate the Capitol and rapidly utilized a bullhorn to “rile up the assemblage and request that lawmakers beryllium brought out.” Within an hour, helium had made it to the Senate floor, taking the spot that Vice President Mike Pence had lone conscionable evacuated and leaving a enactment connected the dais saying, “It’s Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming!”

In the days aft the attack, Mr. Chansley gave an interrogation to NBC News successful which helium said helium considered Jan. 6 “a win.” He besides told the F.B.I. that helium believed Mr. Pence was “a kid trafficking traitor” and that the U.S. authorities was tyrannical, prosecutors say.

After Mr. Chansley’s lengthy code to the court, Judge Lamberth thanked him, saying the comments were among the astir singular helium had heard successful 34 years connected the bench. But the justice past told Mr. Chansley that helium would inactive person to service clip successful prison.

“What you did is terrible,” helium said.