'QAnon Shaman' Receives Prison Sentence for Jan. 6
‘QAnon Shaman’ Jacob Chansley was sentenced to 41 months in prison on Wednesday over his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol incursion in Washington, D.C.
The Department of Justice had requested a harsh sentence for Chansley to set an example among those participating in the events of Jan. 6 at the nation’s Capitol.
Chansley’s sentence also included three years of additional probation and a requirement to pay $2,000 in restitution.
Breaking: Jacob Chansley, the QAnon Shaman, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for his Jan. 6 role.
Chansley will be on probation for 3 years following his release. He’ll have to pay $2,000 restitution. @NBCNews
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 17, 2021
The sentence was shorter than the prosecution’s recommended 51-month sentence but serves among the harshest of those participating in the events of Jan. 6 inside the U.S. Capitol Building.
Chansley was arrested on six charges that included two felonies. A plea deal allowed a lesser punishment, pleading guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding.
“What you did here was horrific, as you now concede,” U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth said, according to The Washington Examiner.
“It is the type of conduct that is so serious that I cannot justify downward departure,” the judge added.
Chansley was also given the opportunity to speak before his sentencing.
“I admit to the world, I was wrong. I have no excuses. My behavior was indefensible,” he said, according to NBC News.
“I am not a violent man or a white supremacist. I am truly repentant,” he added, saying he suffers from a personality disorder and is on the autism spectrum.
Chansley is one of a reported more than 650 people charged in the events of Jan. 6. A total of 132 have pleaded guilty, according to NBC.
The Biden administration announced in February its plan to take the fight against what it calls domestic terrorism to a new level.
Deputy Attorney General John Carlin, citing the Jan. 6 incursion into the Capitol, promised an “enhanced response” to domestic terror groups, according to The Hill.
In a Justice Department news release, Carlin delivered remarks about how he defines extremism.
“Our Department of Justice was formed to bring justice, and that means battling terrorists, extremists and hate. That has been true since its beginning, when our first Attorney General led efforts to protect our country from the threat of white supremacists, successfully prosecuting hundreds of cases against members of the Ku Klux Klan,” he said.
The Daily Beast quoted a “senior Justice Department official” as saying the legal definitions of domestic terrorism “expand a lot of authorities we can use,” which could include nationwide search warrants, expanded law-enforcement access to educational and tax records and harsher sentencing.
The official also said the Biden administration could seek a new law to fight what it calls domestic extremists.
“Obviously that’s going to be a policy question for the folks that are coming in,” the official said.
“I’m sure we’ll run a data-driven process to see whether we need additional legislative authorities in this area.”
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