Yahoo Autos The Real Reason the Jan. 6 'QAnon Shaman' Was Released From Prison Early
Jacob Chansley, also known as the "QAnon Shaman," screams "Freedom" inside the U.S. Senate chamber after the U.S. Capitol was breached by a mob during a joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Credit - Win McNamee–Getty Images
Jacob Chansley, the convicted Jan. 6 rioter who was dubbed the “QAnon Shaman” thanks to viral photographs of his outlandish getup, has been released from prison and transferred to a halfway house more than a year before he was initially set to be released.
His former attorney and legal experts say it has nothing to do with Tucker Carlson, or the Fox News host’s broadcast of footage of Chansley seemingly being led through the hallways of the U.S. Capitol by police.
Federal prison records indicate that Chansley, a self-described shaman and a follower of the QAnon conspiracy theory, entered a “residential reentry management” facility in Phoenix, Ariz. on Tuesday with a release date of May 25—around 14 months ahead of his scheduled release.
The Bureau of Prisons has not commented on the reason for his early release, but noted that recent changes to the First Step Act allows inmates to earn “up to 54 days of good conduct time for each year of the sentence imposed by the court.” Federal and state prison inmates often earn sentence reductions over the course of their time behind bars.
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Chansley, 35, pleaded guilty in September 2021 to one felony count of obstruction of an official proceeding and was sentenced to 41 months in prison. He was perhaps the most visible rioter to storm the Capitol, carrying a spear and wearing a horned fur hat and face paint on Jan. 6. He was also one of a small number of rioters to make it to the floor of the Senate Chamber, where he used a bullhorn to rile up the mob, calling former Vice President Mike Pence a “f—ing traitor.” Chansley also left a note on paper that read “It’s Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming!” The imposing images of him on the Senate floor were broadcast around the world, becoming a symbol of the Jan. 6 attack.
