PHOENIX — One week after he was pictured with rioters in the U.S. Capitol, Jacob Chansley, the "QAnon Shaman," faces a six-count federal indictment.
Chansley appeared in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 wearing a fur headdress and horns. He had a spear with an American flag attached and was bare-chested in tan pants. One of the most recognizable members of the mob, Chansley was also pictured standing on the dais of the U.S. Senate Chamber.
The indictment, dated Jan. 11, was made public Wednesday. Chansley faces the following charges:
- Civil disorder
- Obstruction of an official proceeding
- Entering and remaining in a restricted building
- Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building
- Violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building
- Parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol Building
If convicted of the obstruction charge, Chansley could face up to 20 years in federal prison.
Chansley turned himself in to the FBI field office in Phoenix Saturday morning.
The 33-year-old grew up in Phoenix and attended Moon Valley High School, according to former classmates. Wearing his “Q Shaman” outfit, Chansley was a regular participant at rallies supporting Donald Trump in recent months.
Chansley appeared telephonically in a Phoenix federal courtroom Monday. He was being held in a quarantine section of a detention facility, due to COVID-19 protocols. At that time, he was facing two misdemeanor charges.
During Monday’s hearing, Chansley’s public defender said the man was on an extremely restrictive diet, perhaps for religious reasons, and had not eaten since he was taken into custody.
Judge Deborah Fine responded that information was “deeply concerning” and ordered Chansley’s public defender to communicate with the U.S. Marshal's Office on the dietary concerns.
The U.S. Marshal’s Office told ABC15 that Chansley would be provided an organic diet in line with his shamanic diet.
Chansley’s mother, Martha, was in the courtroom Monday. Afterward, she explained his diet. "He gets very sick if he doesn't eat organic food - literally will get physically sick,“ Martha Chansley said.
In an interview Thursday with ABC15, Martha Chansley was unapologetic for her son’s role in the violent disruption of Congress. Members had to be evacuated while trying to certify votes from the November presidential election. Five people, including a Capitol police officer, died during or after the riot. A second officer, who was at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, died by suicide Saturday.
Martha Chansley referred to her son as a “patriot” and the “gentlest person I know.“
According to a federal court website, Chansley is scheduled for a detention hearing Friday afternoon in Phoenix.
Got a news tip? Email ABC15 Investigator Melissa Blasius at Melissa.Blasius@abc15.com and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
