Several news reports have confirmed that Jacob Chansely, aka the “Qanon Shaman,” the man sentenced in 2021 to 41 months in prison, was released more than a year early to a halfway house to complete his sentence.
The 35-year-old aspiring actor was moved to a “residential re-entry management” facility in Phoenix and is expected to be released on May 25.
Chansley, who received the longest jail term of any of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol rioters, was convicted of a single count of felony obstruction of justice. He was one of nearly 1,000 people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Supporters of the riot stormed the Capitol as lawmakers certified President Joe Biden’s election win in 2020.
Chansley’s lawyer Albert Watkins said in a statement that the early release of his client was “appropriate” and he should be “permitted to move forward with the next stage of what undoubtedly will be a law-abiding and enriching life.”
He recently re-emerged in the national spotlight after Fox News host Tucker Carlson argued the riot was peaceful primarily, airing footage of the self-styled QAnon Shaman wandering the halls of Congress with police officers either escorting him or making no attempt to bar his way.
His alias referenced a baseless conspiracy theory whose adherents believe former President Donald Trump was waging a secret war against elite Satan-worshipping pedophiles.
