Jacob Chansley, who proclaimed he was the ‘QAnon Shaman’ and became the infamous face of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, is facing the strictest penalty yet for any insurrectionist.
Chansley, 34, pleaded guilty to felony obstruction of Congress in early September and faces a minimum of three years in prison.
The Trump fan entered the Capitol building with a six-foot spear with an American flag tied to it and donned red, white and blue paint on his face as well as a Viking hat. Photos of Chansley sporting his ‘Shaman attire’ became synonymous with the events of the horrifying day in US history.
In a late-night court filing on Tuesday, Chansley’s attorney Albert Watkins asked for a sentence below the federal guidelines of an estimated 41 to 51 months, the Washington Post reported.
According to Watkins, his client’s lifelong mental health issues led to his participation in the attack.
‘He seeks not to be seen as a political prisoner. He seeks not to blame a former president for his actions. He seeks not to justify his actions with any explanation. He seeks solely to be held accountable,’ the memorandum says.
Prosecutors are asking for a prison sentence of 51 months, coupled with three years of supervised release and a restitution of $2,000.
‘Defendant Chansley’s now-famous criminal acts have made him the public face of the Capitol riot,’ prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum.
Prosecutors said Chansley was among the first of hundreds of rioters who trespassed into the Capitol that day.
They also argue that his social media posts urging others to ‘stop the steal’, and the threatening manner he entered the building, call for a longer sentencing than other insurrectionists, prosecutors say.
Chansley carried a ‘six-foot spear’ into the Capitol, left a threatening note for Vice President Mike Pence and ignored Capitol police officers’ orders to evacuate the Capitol.
‘The government argues that a sentence of less than 51 months of incarceration would be insufficient to impress upon the defendant the seriousness of his actions and ensure the safety of the nation,’ the memorandum said.
Watkins said that at the date of sentencing, Chansley will have served 317 days in solitary confinement because of Covid-19 protocols. He wants to be credited with that time served.
His attorney also says his client’s appearance during the riot indicated his ‘mental health vulnerabilities’.
‘On January 6, 2021, the images of Mr Chansley spontaneously and globally became iconic images inextricably linked to and commanding immediate association with the events at the Capitol. They have become to January 6 what the Swoosh is to Nike,’ Watkins said in the memorandum.
‘These initial, emotion-driven impressions of Mr Chansley should have been tempered by what in hindsight were obvious indicia of mental health vulnerabilities.’
He then compared Chansley’s actions to Forest Gump, saying they were similar in acting oblivious as a result of childhood abuse and trauma.
Having been bullied throughout his childhood, Chansley was always considered a loner until he became involved with social media following former president Donald Trump’s reelection bid in 2020.
Chansley had also served in the US Navy from 2006 to 2007, where he was diagnosed as having a ‘Schizotypal Personality Disorder’, but never received treatment or even word of the diagnosis, his attorney said.
He is asking for a sentence that would allow him to continue with his ‘pursuit of his mental and physical health prioritized’, the memorandum says. Chansley’s sentencing is scheduled for November 17.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
0 Commentaires