So-called “QAnon shaman” Jacob Chansley has been photographed for the first time since he was released from prison 14 months earlier.
Chansley, 35, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison after storming the US Capitol on January 6.
Exclusive pictures obtained by show Chansley wearing a T-shirt with the word “Freedom” at a federal transitional home just miles from Phoenix, Arizona.
He was released Thursday into Behavioral Systems Southwest’s 78-bed housing project.
It is a re-entry center contracted by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and US Probation.
Exclusive pictures obtained by show Chansley at a federal transitional home just miles from Phoenix, Arizona
Chansley, 35, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison after storming the US Capitol on January 6
The property has 62 beds for men and 16 beds for women, with Chansley set to remain at the property until May 2023, according to the BOP website.
Chansley was spotted on the top floor of the building, which is located in a middle-class neighborhood in downtown Phoenix.
He was seen coming in and out of the unit to get food before standing outside smiling with a large mug in hand.
Wearing a beanie and sweatshirt, Chansley cut a very different figure from the one who broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6 wearing a horned headdress and face paint.
He appeared to be on the phone with someone as he clutched a large silver mug and walked onto the property’s balcony in light blue shorts.
Chansley grinned as he paced the balcony, but he has yet to exit the gated property, which is fitted with security cameras covering all entrances.
The property has 62 beds for men and 16 beds for women, with Chansley set to remain at the property until May 2023, according to the BOP website
Wearing a cap and sweatshirt, Chansley looked very different from the man who broke into the Capitol on January 6 wearing a horned headdress and face paint
He appeared to be on the phone with someone as he clutched a large silver mug and walked onto the property’s balcony in light blue shorts.
Chansley was transferred from the FCI Federal Penitentiary in Stafford, Arizona, to a communal facility in the Phoenix area after spending a combined total of nearly 27 months in prison, a Bureau of Prisons (BOP) spokesman confirmed in a statement to on Thursday .
The spokesman declined to comment on the reason for the transfer, but generally referred to federal laws that allow for reduced sentences for good behavior and release to a transitional house for the final 12 months of a sentence.
Chansley’s release comes weeks after his former attorney called for his release in the face of new video of the Capitol riots, but his move to the Halfway House appears unrelated.
A former federal prosecutor unrelated to the case said it was doubtful public pressure played a role in Chansley’s transfer, noting that the move was “sort of routine” under BOP guidelines.
“For security reasons, we do not discuss detention conditions for inmates, including transfer or release plans, nor do we disclose the specific whereabouts of an individual while in communal detention,” the BOP spokesman said.
Chansley grinned as he paced the balcony, but he has yet to exit the gated property, which is fitted with security cameras covering all entrances.
He was spotted on the top floor of the building, which is located in a middle-class neighborhood in downtown Phoenix
Chansley was transferred from the FCI Federal Penitentiary in Stafford, Arizona, to a community facility in the Phoenix area after spending a total of nearly 27 months in prison
In a statement to , Albert S. Watkins, the attorney handling Chansley’s pleading and conviction, welcomed his transfer to a transitional house
“Communal detention” can refer to either house arrest or a transitional home, but Chansley’s former lawyer said he was transferred to the latter.
The Bureau of Prison confirmed that Chansley is in the care of the Residential Reentry Management field office in Phoenix, which contracts transitional housing to help inmates prepare for reentry into society. Its release date is set for May 25th.
Federal inmates may receive a 15 percent reduction in their sentence for good behavior behind bars and may also serve the final 12 months of their sentence in transitional housing at the discretion of the Bureau of Prisons.
With his elaborate costume and face paint, Chansley became known as the face of the January 6, 2021 riot in which supporters of former President Donald Trump illegally entered the US Capitol and temporarily disrupted the confirmation of Joe Biden’s election as President.
In a statement to , Albert S. Watkins, the attorney handling Chansley’s pleading and conviction, welcomed his transfer to a transitional house.
Chansley is being followed through the Capitol by a police officer on January 6, 2021
Earlier this month, Watkins had argued that Chansley should be released after Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson aired previously unseen footage of the riot
“Having served 11 months in solitary confinement before his sentence was handed down and only 16 months of his sentence thereafter, it is fitting to allow this gentle and intelligent young man to proceed to the next phase of what is undoubtedly a law-abiding one will be and enrich life,” said Watkins.
“I welcome the US Bureau of Prison’s decision on this,” Watkins added.
Watkins declined to speculate as to the reason for Chansley’s early release, saying: “This was a decision of the US Bureau of Prisons. I cannot speak for the US Bureau of Prisons.’
In recent weeks, prominent figures including billionaire Elon Musk have called for Chansley’s release, citing new footage that appeared to show him being “escorted” by police officers in the Capitol during the riots.
However, former federal prosecutor Neama Ramani, the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, told the intense scrutiny of Chansley’s case is unlikely to have any impact on his early release.
“I don’t think it has anything to do with the media [or] public pressure,” said Ramani, who has nothing to do with the case.
He noted that releasing inmates to transitional accommodation for the last 12 months of their sentence was “a sort of routine for the Bureau of Prisons,” particularly for inmates without a long criminal record.
With his elaborate clothing and face paint, Chansley became known as the face of the riot on January 6, 2021
“Despite the violence of the Capitol riots, most rioters had little to no criminal records,” Ramani said.
Earlier this month, Watkins had argued that Chansley should be released after Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson aired previously unseen footage of the riot.
Carlson used his Fox News show to broadcast clips showing Chansley in the US Capitol.
Chansley appears to be escorted into the building by Capitol Police officers while other officers allow the chested, horn-carrying Trump supporter to pass.
On Carlson’s show, Chansley’s former attorney said he had not been shown the new footage, which the conservative newscaster described as “clearly exonerating.”
Carlson used the footage to argue that the rioters were “sightseers” and “mostly peaceful.”
Other evidence omitted by Carlson shows that Chansley entered the Capitol without permission
Tucker Carlson released footage from inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, including clips showing “QAnon shaman” Jacob Chansley (above) apparently being “escorted” into the building
However, other evidence omitted by Carlson shows that Chansley entered the Capitol without permission, was repeatedly asked to leave the building, and was not accompanied by police officers at all times.
For example, a statement signed by Chansley and his lawyer contradicts claims that he was “escorted” by police officers during the riot.
The statement admits that Chansley entered the Capitol through a broken door as part of a crowd who “did not have lawful authority to enter or be in the building” and that he was one of the first 30 rioters inside.
It also notes that although officials repeatedly asked Chansley and others to leave the Capitol, he did not comply and actively asked his fellow campaigners.
The statement describes Chansley’s interactions with officials during the breach, but also notes that he “entered the Senate gallery alone.”
Watkins has previously said that his former client rejects the “QAnon” conspiracy theory, preferring to be known simply as “the shaman.”