Washington-Arizona man. is referred to as “Law Shaman” He will serve 41 months in prison after storming the Capitol on January 6, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
Sentencing Jacob Chansley, US District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth said, “What you did was horrific, obstructing the functioning of the government. What you did was terrible. You made yourself a symbol of the riots.” took.
Chansley, 34, stood outside on January 6 among rioters shirtless with face paint, wearing a cute headdress with horns, and carrying an American flag and a bullhorn.
Chancellor spoke at length in court before the sentencing.
“I admit to the world, I was wrong. I have no excuse. My behavior was unforgivable,” he said.
But he was adamant that he wasn’t a dangerous criminal, saying, “I’m not a violent guy or a white supremacist. I’m really sorry.” He said that he suffers from a personality disorder and is on the autism spectrum.
federal prosecutor had asked That Chancellor, who pleaded guilty to a single count of felony in an official proceeding in September, was released after serving 51 months to three years of supervised release. He also asked him to pay $2,000 in restitution.
Prosecutors A sentencing memo described Chancellor as “the public face of the Capital Riot”.
During the sentencing hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Pascal said that in the months following the attack, Chancellor “posted abusive messages on social media, prompting thousands of her followers to expose corrupt politicians, identify traitors in the government, Encouraged to stop. Their agenda, to stop the seal, and to end the deep situation.”
“That was a call to fight,” she said.
Defense attorney Albert Watkins said during the hearing that Chansley’s bizarre appearance and behavior on January 6 were suggestive of mental health problems.
“He was not an organizer. He was not a planner. He was not violent. He was not destructive. He was not a thief,” he said.
According to the sentencing memo, Chansley was among the first to enter the building, and once there, he used a bullhorn to “incite the crowd and demand the lawmakers be brought out”.
In the Senate gallery, Chancellor spoke obscenely and raised the chamber’s stage, the memoir continued. There, he photographed himself, refused to leave when law enforcement ordered him, and left a note that read: “It’s only a matter of time. Justice is coming!”
Prosecutors said Chansley, who campaigned Far-right QAnon conspiracy theoryused social media to spread “false information and hate speech” that incited the riots.
In an email to NBC News last week, Watkins called prosecutors’ recommendation “deliberately delusional” and “shameful.” He described Chansley as a “young, gentleman with zero criminal history and longstanding mental health vulnerabilities”.
Watkins said after the sentencing that Chancellor is “fully embracing being held accountable.”
He said former President Donald Trump is “no longer important to him” and has focused on his mental health instead.
In January, Chancellor asked then-President Donald Trump to pardon him, saying he had accepted the president’s invitation to visit the Capitol. After Trump left office, Chancellor declared his dismay and volunteered to testify against the former president in a Senate impeachment trial.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Lamberth ordered Chansley to pay $2,000 in restitution. He will also have to serve three years of supervised release after the completion of his jail term.
Chansley is one of more than 650 people charged with the January 6 riots. There have been 132 people who have confessed to crimes, most of them for committing crimes.
Pete Williams reported from Washington, Tim Stello reported from California and Marlene Lenthang from New York.