Tech

QAnon Shaman gets 41 months in prison for role in Capitol riot

‘I admit to the world, I was wrong. I have no excuses.’

Photo of Mikael Thalen

Mikael Thalen

A man wearing horns and shouting in a crowd.

Arizona native Jacob Chansley, best known as the “QAnon Shaman,” was sentenced to 41 months in prison on Wednesday for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Featured Video

While handing down the sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth described Chansley, whose fur, face paint, and horned attire drew widespread attention, as the “epitome of the riot.”

The sentence is ten months less than what prosecutors sought.

“What you did was horrific, obstructing the functioning of the government. What you did was terrible,” Lamberth said. “You made yourself the epitome of the riot.”

Advertisement

Chansley, who had pleaded guilty to a single count of felony obstruction of an official proceeding in September, was one of hundreds of supporters of former President Donald Trump to storm the Capitol over the false belief that the 2020 election had been fraudulent.

Specifically, Chansley was one of the first to enter the Capitol and the Senate gallery, where he was filmed shouting from the chamber’s dais. A note left by Chansley also menacingly read: “It’s Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming!”

Prior to his sentencing, Chansley described himself as “truly repentant” before pushing back on claims that he was violent or held white supremacist beliefs.

“I admit to the world, I was wrong. I have no excuses,” he said. “My behavior was indefensible.”

Advertisement

Prosecutors, however, pointed to posts from Chansley on social media prior to Jan. 6 as evidence of his extremist beliefs.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Paschall argued that Chansley had made a “call to battle” after posting “vitriolic messages” that encouraged “his thousands of followers to expose corrupt politicians, to ID the traitors in the government, to halt their agenda, to stop the steal, and end the deep state.”

Defense attorney Albert Watkins stated that Chansley’s behavior was attributable to mental health issues.

“He was not an organizer. He was not a planner. He was not violent. He was not destructive. He was not a thief,” Watkins said.

Advertisement

Chansley is just one of at least 650 people to be charged for their involvement in the Capitol riot.


Read more of the Daily Dot’s tech and politics coverage

Nevada’s GOP secretary of state candidate follows QAnon, neo-Nazi accounts on Gab, Telegram
Court filing in Bored Apes lawsuit revives claims founders built NFT empire on Nazi ideology
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Say hi to the Donald for us’: Florida police briefed armed right-wing group before they went to Jan. 6 protest
Inside the Proud Boys’ ties to ghost gun sales
‘Judas’: Gab users are furious its founder handed over data to the FBI without a subpoena
EXCLUSIVE: Anti-vax dating site that let people advertise ‘mRNA FREE’ semen left all its user data exposed
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
 
The Daily Dot