A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced the US Capitol rioter - nicknamed the "QAnon Shaman" for his horned headdress - to 41 months in prison for his role in the deadly January 6 attack carried out by former president Donald Trump's followers.
Prosecutors asked US District Judge Royce Lamberth to impose a longer, 51-month sentence on Jacob Chansley, who pleaded guilty in September to obstructing an official proceeding when he and thousands of others stormed the Capitol building in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's election.
Chansley was taken into custody shortly after the riot. His lawyer, Albert Watkins, had asked that his client be given no additional jail time.
Addressing the court before his sentencing, Chansley gave a long, rambling statement in which he expressed contrition for his “indefensible” January 6 actions, recounted his work with abused children and spoke of his love of Jesus and Gandhi.
“I am in no way, shape or form a dangerous criminal,” he said.
“I am not a violent man, I am not an insurrectionist, I am not a domestic terrorist. I’m a good man who broke the law and I’m doing all I can to take responsibility for that.”
The sentence matches one imposed by a judge on a former mixed martial artist filmed punching a police officer during the violence.
While in detention, Chansley was diagnosed by prison officials with transient schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety.
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An explosion caused by a police munition is seen while supporters of former president Donald Trump gather in front of the US Capitol Building in Washington, US, January 6, 2021. Reuters -
A supporter of US President Donald J. Trump sits on the desk of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, after supporters of US President Donald J. Trump breached the US Capitol security in Washington. EPA -
Police detain a person as supporters of US President Donald Trump protest outside the US Capitol. AFP -
Protesters enter the US Capitol Building. AFP -
A protester holds a Trump flag inside the US Capitol Building near the Senate Chamber. AFP -
US Capitol police officers point their guns at a door that was vandalized in the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress. AFP -
Members of congress run for cover as protesters try to enter the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress. AFP -
Congress staffers barricade themselves after Trump supporters stormed inside the US Capitol. AFP -
Congress staffers barricade themselves after Trump supporters stormed inside the US Capitol. AFP -
Congress staffers hold up their hands while Capitol Police Swat teams check everyone in the room as they secure the floor of Trump supporters. AFP -
US Capitol Police stand detain protesters outside of the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress. AFP -
A supporter of US President Donald Trump sits at a desk after invading the Capitol Building. AFP -
A protester sits in the Senate Chamber. AFP -
Pro-Trump protesters tear down a barricade as they clash with Capitol police during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 US presidential election results by the US Congress. Reuters -
Police hold back supporters of US President Donald Trump as they gather outside the US Capitol's Rotunda. AFP -
Supporters of US President Donald Trump enter the US Capitol's Rotunda. AFP -
A protester is seen hanging from the balcony in the Senate Chamber. AFP -
Riot police prepare to move demonstrators away from the US Capitol. AFP -
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol. AFP -
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces, as they storm the US Capitol. AFP -
A supporter of US President Donald Trump wears a gas mask as he protests after storming the US Capitol. AFP -
Pro-Trump supporters storm the US Capitol following a rally. AFP -
Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest inside the US Capitol. AFP -
US President Donald Trump is seen on TV from a video message released on Twitter addressing rioters at the US Capitol, in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC. AFP -
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol in Washington, DC. AFP -
Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest in the US Capitol Rotunda. AFP -
Paramedics perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a patient. AFP -
A wounded protester is carried on barricade as demonstrators breach the US Capital building grounds. Bloomberg -
US Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi preside over a joint session of Congress to certify the 2020 Electoral College results after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol earlier in the day on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. EPA -
Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., cleans up debris and personal belongings strewn across the floor of the Rotunda in the early morning hours of the morning, after protesters stormed the Capitol in Washington. AP
Mr Watkins said the US Navy in 2006 had found Chansley suffered from a personality disorder but nonetheless declared him "fit for duty".
When he entered his guilty plea, Chansley said he was disappointed Mr Trump had not pardoned him.
Mr Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives and acquitted by the Senate on a charge of inciting the January 6 riot due to a fiery speech he made right before it in which he told his followers to "fight like hell".
Four people died in the violence. A Capitol Police officer who had been attacked by protesters died the day after the riot and four police officers who took part in the defence of the Capitol later took their own lives. About 140 police officers were injured.
In the months since the riot, federal prosecutors have brought charges against about 650 people. So far, at least 90 have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges and at least 15 to felony charges, court papers show.
