Jacob Chansley, the self-described “QAnon Shaman” who infamously stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan.6 with a spear and horned helmet was sentenced Wednesday to 41 months in prison for his role in the attack.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington, D.C., handed down the sentence after Chansley pleaded guilty in September to a single count of felony obstruction of an official proceeding.
Chansley addressed the court on Wednesday before his sentencing saying he is not a violent man.
“I am in no way, shape, or form a violent criminal. I am not an insurrectionist. I am certainly not a domestic terrorist,” he said. “I hope that you see my heart.”
“I was wrong for entering the Capitol. I have no excuse — no excuse whatsoever,” Chansley said, according to ABC News. “In retrospect, I’d do everything differently on Jan. 6 … I would try with all my heart and soul to stop people.”
“I think the hardest part about this is that I know that I’m to blame,” he added. “I hope that you see my remorse is genuine.”
Federal prosecutors had asked that Chansley serve 51 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. They also asked that he pay $2,000 in restitution.
The sentence he received was 10 months less than what prosecutors requested. It was reduced by the time he has served in jail since his arrest.
Lamberth had denied a request from Chansley’s attorneys for a lighter sentence than what prosecutors requested.
“What you did was horrific, obstructing the functioning of the government. What you did was terrible. You made yourself the epitome of the riot,” Lamberth said in court Wednesday.
In addition to the prison term, Chansley was also ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution. He also must serve a period of three years of supervised release following completion of his prison term.
Chansley’s sentence matches the longest sentence handed down to any Jan. 6 participant, following the 41-month sentence Scott Fairlam, a former mixed martial arts fighter received last week after pleading guilty to assaulting a police officer during the riot.
