Jacob Chansley, aka the “QAnon Shaman,” has reportedly struck a plea deal in his Capitol riot criminal case.
According to the Daily Beast, the 33-year-old Arizona resident is expected to plead guilty to his role in the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection. He was previously hit with a six-count indictment that includes obstruction of an official proceeding, violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and demonstrating in a Capitol building. Chansley faces up to 28 years in prison if convicted of those charges; however, the details of his reported plea deal remain unclear.
Chansley was one of the most high-profile participants in the Jan. 6 riots, in which Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to block the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential win. A bare-chested Chansley was spotted among the mob wearing a horned headdress and face paint, while wielding a large spear. He was arrested days after the riot and went on to apologize for his involvement.
“I deeply regret and am very sorry I entered into the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021,” he wrote back in February. “I should not have been there. Period. I am sorry for having aroused fear in the hearts of others. That was wrong. Period.”
His lawyer, Al Watkins, released a statement on Thursday, suggesting his client is no longer a proponent of QAnon—a pro-Trump conspiracy theory that claimed the former POTUS was being undermined by the “deep state.”
“Mr. Chansley, a long avowed and practicing Shaman, has repudiated the ‘Q’ previously assigned to him and requests future references to him be devoid of use of the letter ‘Q’,” Watkins wrote. “It is imperative that patience and compassion be accorded those, who like Mr. Chansley, were non-violent, peaceful and possessed of genuine mental health issues which rendered them more vulnerable to the propaganda of the day but who, at the end of day, seek to be accountable for their actions.”
Chansley, who is currently behind bars in Washington, D.C., will have his plea agreement hearing Friday morning.
