Jan. 6 rioter 'QAnon Shaman' Jacob Chansley secures early release from prison to halfway house, lawyer says
So-called QAnon Shaman Jacob Chansley released from prison
Chansley, an Arizonan who became one of the faces of the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, was reportedly transferred to a halfway house. For his part, Chansley admitted he was wrong for entering the Capitol, but denied he part of any attempt to overthrow the government, and claimed he never committed violence that day.
PHOENIX - Jacob Chansley, the Navy veteran and Jan. 6, 2021 rioter dubbed the "QAnon Shaman" for his infamous horned costume, has been released from prison to a halfway house, according to his lawyer.
"For the record: Jake is out on schedule," Chansley's attorney Bill Shipley tweeted early Thursday morning.
"I told him 16 months ago in our first conversation it would be Feb. or Mar. 2023," Shipley said. "BOP [Federal Bureau of Prisons] math. I didn’t do anything extraordinary–this was always the schedule, I just understood it and could explain it to him. He was expecting 12 more mos."
U.S. Bureau of Prisons records state Chansley's current location as RRM Phoenix, an administrative office that provides oversight of halfway houses in Arizona and southern Nevada.
Chansley, 35, is widely recognizable as the shirtless and face-painted man who, according to one federal judge, became the "very image" of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Numerous pictures and videos from the riot show Chansley carrying an American flag through the Capitol building as a mob of then-President Trump's supporters engaged in violent confrontations with police outside.
Footage from the Capitol obtained by Fox News host Tucker Carlson shows Chansley being escorted around the building by Capitol Police officers. At one point, at least nine police officers were seen close to Chansley, and none of them slowed him down.
After the riot, Chansley was arrested and charged in connection to the riot. He pleaded guilty to civil disorder and violent entry to the Capitol in September 2021.
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 6: Jacob Anthony Angeli Chansley, known as the QAnon Shaman, is seen at the Capital riots. On January 9, Chansley was arrested on federal charges of "knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds witho (Photo by Brent Stirton/Getty Images)
The Department of Justice said that Chansley entered the Capitol building at 2:14 p.m. and eventually went onto the Senate floor, taking pictures at the dais. He was accused of saying "Mike Pence is a f---ing traitor," and writing a note that read, "It’s Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming!"
Federal Judge Royce Lamberth sentenced Chansley to 41 months in prison in November 2021.
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In a lengthy speech at his sentencing hearing, Chansley said he was "wrong for entering the Capitol" and did not excuse his actions.
"I am in no way, shape or form a violent criminal… no way a domestic terrorist," Chansley said. "I'm a good man who broke the law. … I am truly repentant for my actions."
Chansley's trial attorney, Albert Watkins, said he was pleased with his former client's release.
"After serving 11 months in solitary prior to his sentence being imposed, and only 16 months of his sentence thereafter, it is appropriate this gentle and intelligent young man be permitted to move forward with the next stage of what undoubtedly will be a law-abiding and enriching life," Watkins said in a statement.
"I applaud the decision of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons in this regard," he added.
Shipley, who represents more than 25 Jan. 6 defendants, said that Chansley will comment on the matter "when it is the right time to do so."