During his address on Wednesday, Jacob Chansley, otherwise known as the “Q Shaman,” told the court that is “not an insurrectionist” and is simply a “good man who broke the law.” Despite his contrite words and nonviolent deeds, U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lambert sentenced Chansley to 41 months in prison.
The 34-year-old Chansley, a.k.a. Jake Angeli, of Phoenix, wearing a Viking hat and carrying a six-foot spear – was among the first 30 protestors in the building, according to the Department of Justice.
Chansley was arrested Jan. 9, 2021 and has been in custody ever since. He pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia on Sept. 3, 2021, to obstruction of an official proceeding. In addition to the prison term, Lamberth ordered him to pay $2,000 in restitution. He also must serve a period of three years of supervised release following completion of his prison term.
Just saw this @NewYorker video for the first time of the moment Q-Shaman temporarily ascended to the presidency of the Senate. pic.twitter.com/ka916CyWNt
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) January 19, 2021
He entered the Senate and walked up to the dais and proceeded to take pictures of himself on the dais and refused to vacate the seat when asked to do so by law enforcement, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Instead, he stated that “Mike Pence is a f—-ing traitor” and wrote a note on available paper on the dais, stating “It’s Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming!”
He then called other protestors “up to the dais and led them in an incantation over his bullhorn.”
Of the 35 defendants sentenced for the protest at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, so far, Chansley has received one of the longest sentences.