Jan. 6 Prisoner Released from Federal Prison - Look Where He's Going Now: Report
A “shamanistic” journey that began at the nation’s capitol is reportedly headed for the desert next.
According to multiple reports, including from the U.K. Daily Mail and KTVK, Jacob Chansley, perhaps better known as the “QAnon Shaman,” has been released from prison 14 months early and will be moved to a halfway house in Arizona.
Indeed, a cursory glance at Chansley’s Federal Bureau of Prisons record does indicate the “shaman” is in a residential reentry management (RRM) field office in Phoenix.
While this appears to be a drastic change from the original 41 month prison sentence levied at Chansley in November 2021, the Daily Mail reported that this is actually a “routine” development.
A Federal Bureau of Prisons representative broke down the exact math for CBS News reporter Scott MacFarlane:
Bureau of Prisons statement to @cbsnews (continued)
“..These additional time credits were calculated during the last scheduled application rollout in March 2023. therefore, these changes will allow inmates to earn the extra 5 days of time credit for every 30-day period.”
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) March 30, 2023
“Recent changes have been made regarding First Step Act assessments such that the 28-day assessment will count as the first, and that an inmate will be able to earn 15 days after two assessments rather than three,” the statement read, before noting that Chansley had, apparently, qualified for “additional time credits.”
The statement adds: “These additional time credits were calculated during the last scheduled application rollout in March 2023. therefore, these changes will allow inmates to earn the extra 5 days of time credit for every 30-day period.”
A statement from Albert S. Watkins, Chansley’s legal representation, to the Daily Mail lauded the decision to move the “QAnon Shaman” to a halfway home.
“After serving eleven 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.
The attorney did not appear privy to the time credits and changes to the First Step Act mentioned above, as he noted to the Daily Mail that he had no idea why the Bureau of Prisons had released Chansley to a halfway home so soon. Regardless, Watkins clearly approved of the move:
“I applaud the decision of the U.S. Bureau of Prison[s] in this regard.”
Calls for some sort of make-good for Chansley have been growing after security camera footage of the Jan. 6 incident was released to the public. The new footage actually appears to show Chansley being guided through the Capitol when the incident first took place — a far cry from the hell-raising, destructive, violent and dangerous “QAnon Shaman” that had been presented to the American masses.
That relatively new footage even helped Chansley engender some support from an unexpected — and powerful — ally in Twitter head honcho Elon Musk.
“Free Jacob Chansley,” was all Musk needed to tweet to throw his support behind the incarcerated shaman.
Free Jacob Chansley https://t.co/8BbeXF2Fye
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 10, 2023
A halfway home may not be the freedom that Musk and others want for Chansley, but it’s still a largely positive development.
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