Jacob Chansley, otherwise known as the ‘QAnon Shaman’ was released from federal prison early and transferred to a halfway house on Wednesday months before he was initially set to be released.
Chansley, one of the most recognizable rioters from the Jan. 6 insurrection, was sentenced to 41 months in prison in November 2021 after pleading guilty to a federal charge of obstruction of an official proceeding.
Records indicate Chansley is currently at a “residential reentry management” facility in Phoenix, Arizona and is set to be released on May 25, according to CBS News. Chansley was originally scheduled to be released in July 2023, but federal prisoners can reduce their sentences for good behavior while in lockup.
“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,” Chansley’s attorney Albert Watkins told The Hill. “I applaud the decision of the US Bureau of Prison in this regard.”
Chansley’s case returned to the national spotlight this month after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) handed more than 40,000 hours of Capitol surveillance footage to Fox New host Tucker Carlson.
Carlson used a footage of Chansley walking in the Capitol accompanied by officers to argue that the riot was “peaceful chaos” and that officers assisted the insurrectionists.
But, prosecutors argued that Carlson’s video did not show the full story.
“The televised footage shows Chansley’s movements only from approximately 2:56 p.m. to 3:00 p.m,” prosecutors said. “Prior to that time, Chansley had, amongst other acts, breached a police line at 2:09 p.m. with the mob, entered the Capitol less than one minute behind Pezzola during the initial breach of the building, and faced off with members of the U.S. Capitol Police for more than thirty minutes in front of the Senate Chamber doors while elected officials, including the Vice President of the United States, were fleeing from the chamber.”
“Chansley then entered the Senate Gallery, where he proceeded to scream obscenities while other rioters rifled through the desks of U.S. Senators on the floor below. All these actions were captured by Senate floor and/or CCTV cameras,” prosecutors say.
