The Justice Department is urging a federal judge to sentence Jacob Chansely — who has become known as the “QAnon Shaman” — to 51 months in prison for his actions the U.S. Capitol on January 6, according to CNN.

Prosecutors’ request for the high-profile Capitol riot defendant Jacob Chansley is as a harsh assessment of his crime and calls him “quite literally, their flagbearer” among the mob on January 6.
In their sentencing request to the judge filed late Tuesday night, prosecutors made clear they hope to use Chansley’s sentence as an example to deter future attacks on the government.
The attempted coup, prosecutors wrote, “has made us all question the safety and security of the country in which we live.”
“Those enormous harms, borne out of the acts of this defendant, must be deterred so that we never see a similar assault on our democracy again,” they continued.
Chansley, who has already been in jail awaiting sentencing for 10 months, is one of the most recognizable figures from the storming of the Capitol on the day Congress was meeting in joint session to certify the electoral votes that made Joe Biden the 46th President of the United States.
Pictures of Chansley at the Capitol went viral because of a bizarre appearance — shirtless, with face paint and a horned, furry headdress — while leading others through the Capitol, shouting into a bullhorn. As one of the first 30 rioters inside the building, he made his way to the Senate dais that was hastily vacated earlier by Vice President Mike Pence, and left a note, according to his plea documents.
Chansley also carried an American flag on a speared flagpole, which prosecutors have characterized as a weapon.
Sentencing of Chansley by Federal Judge Royce Lamberth of the DC District Court is set for next Wednesday, and the judge has wide latitude when it comes to how long he incarcerates the accused. Lamberth could conceivably hand down a sentence of as much as 20 years on the charge Chansley has pled guilty to: Obstructing Congress’ certification of the 2020 vote.
Chansley’s attorney, Albert Watkins claims his client has mental health issues and didn’t take part in any violent actions on the day of the insurrection:
“He was not an organizer. He was not a planner. He was not violent. He was not destructive. He was not a thief. It is time for the Shaman to start on his journey to freedom — not from jail, but from mental health infirmities of significance.”
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