Jacob Chansley was the face of the riot at the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)
The US Capitol rioter, nicknamed the ‘QAnon Shaman for his horned head-dress, is likely to be sentenced on Wednesday to more than four years in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Prosecutors have asked district judge in Washington to announce a 51-month sentence on Jacob Chansley, who in September pleaded guilty to obstructing an official proceeding at the US Capitol building along with thousands of other supporters of then-US President Donald Trump.
Chansley was the face of the Jan. 6 riot at the US Capitol after pictures of him - wearing face paint with a horned head-dress and no shirt - emerged from inside the building.
He was one of the first rioters, the Trump supporters, to make it inside the highly-fortified building, carrying an American flag on a speared pole, which prosecutors have called a weapon.
"Defendant Chansleys now-famous criminal acts have made him the public face of the Capitol riot," prosecutors said while asking for the 51-month sentence.
The sentence being demanded for Chansley would be the toughest after a former mixed martial artist filmed hitting a police officer during the Jan. 6 riot was sentenced last week to 41 months in prison.
Scott Fairlamb, 44, was the first person to be sentenced in connection with the Capitol riot. His 41-month prison term is so far the longest among 32 riot-related sentences handed down so far.
But, Chansleys 51-month sentence, if approved by judges, could beat that.
His lawyers have asked the judge for a sentence of time served for their client, who has been in detention since his arrest in January.
The accused has been diagnosed with transient schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety during his time in detention. He has even expressed disappointment that Trump did not pardon him.
About 700 people have been arrested in the case so far while 120 people have pleaded guilty and two dozen have been sentenced.
Most of the guilty pleas have involved non-violent offenses carrying short jail sentences or probationary sentences.
Trump was impeached by the US House of Representatives but acquitted by the Senate on the charge of inciting the Jan. 6 riot for a fiery speech, telling his followers to "fight like hell."
Four people died in the violence, including a Capitol police officer who had been attacked by protesters. Four police officers who took part in the defense of the building later took their own lives.
On Tuesday, Trump asked a federal appeals court to block the National Archives from giving Congress access to records from his White House related to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
"It is naïve to assume that the fallout will be limited to President Trump or the events of Jan. 6, 2021," Jesse R. Binnall, a lawyer for Mr. Trump, reiterated in his argument.
"Every Congress will point to some unprecedented thing about ‘this president to justify a request for his presidential records. In these hyperpartisan times, Congress will increasingly and inevitably use this new weapon to perpetually harass its political rival."
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/23955
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