The most recognizable Capitol rioter has just received one of the longest sentences related to the events of Jan. 6.
Jacob Chansley, better known as the “QAnon Shaman,” was sentenced for 41 months in prison on Wednesday, the Washington Post reports.
Chansley pleaded guilty earlier this year to “one count of obstruction of an official proceeding.” On Jan. 6, 2021, Chansley along with thousands of other Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. in an attempt to stop the electoral vote c for the U.S. presidential election.
The QAnon Shaman could have seen a maximum of 20 years behind bars. Chansley received a roughly 3 and a half year sentence as he did not have a criminal past nor was accused of committing any violence that day.
Still, it’s interesting to note that Chansley received the same sentence as Scott Fairlamb, another Capitol rioter. While Fairlamb was also charged with obstructing an official proceeding, he was also charged with assaulting a police officer.
Chansley became the face of the Capitol riots due to his QAnon Shaman costume. Wearing face paint and a horned viking helmet, photos of a shirtless, tattooed Chansley inside the Capitol building and Senate chambers went viral online and in the media. The QAnon Shaman quickly became the visual embodiment of that day.
The man known as the QAnon Shaman had been a regular face at various Trump rallies and protests over the years. Chansley was a believer in the QAnon conspiracy theory, which falsely claims that former President Trump is waging a secret war to takedown a global Satanic baby-eating child trafficking ring made up of Trump’s political enemies.
Following the 2020 presidential election, supporters of then-President Donald Trump claimed that the election was stolen from Trump, whom they believed actually had won reelection. These claims are completely unfounded. No proof of fraud changing the election results has ever been presented.
However, Trump supporters like Chansley were inundated with conspiracy theories and disinformation about the unproven electoral fraud. Right wing organizations, white supremacist gangs, and militia groups joined other movement leaders in rallying other Trump supporters, like Chansley, to break into the Capitol building on Jan. 6.
According to the Washington Post, Chansley is the fourth Capitol rioter to be sentenced for a felony. Around 130 people have pleaded guilty so far for their role in storming the Capitol building in order to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
