US Capitol troublemaker ‘Qanon Shaman’ Jacob Chansley jailed for over three years

The so-called “Qanon Shaman” has been sentenced to nearly three and a half years in prison for his role in the US Capitol riots on January 6.

Jacob Chansley became known as the shaman for the horned headdress he wore when he stormed the Capitol building along with hundreds of others, in an attempt to overthrow former US President Donald Trump’s election defeat.

Prosecutors had asked for a 51-month jail term, but the judge said he believed Chansley, who pleaded guilty, had done “a lot” to prove he was “on the right track” and instead gave him 41 months behind bars.

Chansley pleaded guilty in September to obstructing an official case. The riots had tried to prevent Congress from confirming Joe Biden’s election.

Last week, Judge Royce Lamberth handed down the same sentence to a former mixed martial arts artist who was filmed beating a police officer during the violence.

The 41-month prison sentences are the harshest sentences handed down in any of the approximately 675 riots that result from the riots.

Chansley’s lawyer asked the judge for a sentence for his client, who has been detained since his arrest in January.

Chansley appeared in court in a dark green prison suit with a beard and shaved head.

“The hardest part of this is that I know I’m to blame,” Chansley said in a lengthy statement before being convicted, describing a difficult childhood and saying he had taken responsibility for his behavior.

“I thought I would get 20 years of isolation,” he said.

While in custody, Chansley was diagnosed by prison officers with transient schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety.

When he pleaded guilty, Chansley said he was disappointed Mr Trump had not pardoned him.

Trump was sued by the House of Representatives and acquitted by the Senate on an indictment for inciting the riots on Jan. 6 for a fire speech that preceded it, in which he told his supporters to “fight like hell.”

Bannon denies guilt

Trump’s longtime adviser Steve Bannon on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to criminal charges of defying a congressional summons from a panel in the U.S. House investigating the Capitol riot, according to court documents.

Sir. Bannon, who appeared in court for the first time on Monday, was indicted last week by a federal jury on two charges of contempt of Congress.

Sir. Bannon has vowed to fight the congressional summons and told reporters outside the courthouse that he believed the prosecution was a politically motivated attack on him by Mr Biden, Justice Minister Merrick Garland and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

He was due to appear in court on Thursday, but agreed to waive his right to a formal reading of the indictment, according to court documents filed Wednesday.

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Four people died in the Capitol riots.

A Capitol police officer who had been attacked by protesters died the day after the riot, and four police officers who participated in the defense of the Capitol later took their own lives.

About 140 police officers were injured.

Most of the culprits in the January 6 prosecution have so far been in cases involving non-violent offenses, but U.S. politicians are seeking jail time for some defendants facing more serious crimes.

ABC / wires