Jacob Chansley, the self-proclaimed “QAnon Shaman” who became well-known after photos circulated of him wearing face paint, a fur pelt and a horned hat inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, will be sentenced on Wednesday for his role in the attack.
Mr. Chansley pleaded guilty in September to felony obstruction of Congress, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars.
Federal prosecutors have asked U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, a Reagan appointee, for a 51-month sentence — the longest sentence recommended so far for a Capitol riot defendant.
Prosecutors say Mr. Chansley marched into the Senate chamber with a six-foot spear and left a threatening note for then-Vice President Mike Pence that said, “It’s only a matter of time, justice is coming.”
“He was one of the very first rioters inside of the Capitol, and he entered the Capitol brandishing that weapon,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing. “Chansley used his bullhorn to stoke the passions of other rioters around him, to spew obscenities and threats in the Senate gallery, and to give the terrifying invocation upon the Senate dais to the gathered rioters about removing the traitors within the government.”
• Emily Zantow can be reached at ezantow@washingtontimes.com.
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