PHOENIX — The man in the horned headdress during the riot at the U.S. Capitol made his initial appearance in a Phoenix federal courtroom Monday.
Jacob Chansley, also known as Jake Angeli or the QAnon Shaman, appeared telephonically as he is being held in a quarantine section of a detention facility.
Jacob Chansley, AKA Jake Angeli, Arizona man makes first court appearance in for charges related to storming the U.S. Capitol. His mom says he hasn’t eaten since Friday because the detention facility won’t feed him all organic food. @abc15 pic.twitter.com/doTLFal4At
— Melissa Blasius (@MelissaBlasius) January 11, 2021
Chansley, who is from Phoenix, turned himself in to the FBI field office after returning from Washington, D.C., Saturday morning. He is accused of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Both charges are federal misdemeanors.
The 33-year-old QAnon conspiracy theorist was a frequent participant in pro-Trump rallies in Phoenix in recent months. He often appeared in a costume of horns, fur headdress, and tan pants with no shirt.
Chansley politely addressed the judge but did not make any statements regarding the charges against him. He said he may be able to contact a friend who could provide a private attorney for him.
"I'm not really all that worried about it because, in all honesty...I didn't break any laws. I walked through open doors," said Chansley in an interview Thursday with ABC15’s reporting partner Newsy.
The public defender told Judge Deborah Fine in court Monday that Chansley was on an extremely restrictive diet, perhaps for religious reasons, and had not eaten since he was taken into custody.
Judge Fine responded that information was “deeply concerning” and ordered Chansley’s public defender to work with the U.S. Marshal's Office on the dietary concerns.
"We will abide by the judge's order," David Gonzales, U.S. Marshal for the District of Arizona, told ABC15 Monday evening. Gonzales added that Chansley will be provided food in line with a shaman's strict organic 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.“
Got a news tip? Email ABC15 Investigator Melissa Blasius at Melissa.Blasius@abc15.com and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
