Prosecutors ask for maximum sentence for 'QAnon shaman' for Jan. 6 riot

Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Federal prosecutors have urged a judge in Washington, D.C., to sentence a Jan. 6 Capitol rioter -- self-described as the "QAnon shaman" -- to 51 months in prison.

Jacob Chansley -- whose face paint, bullhorn and horned helmet made him highly visible during the attack -- pleaded guilty in September to one count of obstructing Congress. The Phoenix man, who also goes by the name Jake Angeli, has been in custody since January.

In a late-night sentencing memo Tuesday, prosecutors asked the judge to give Chansley 51 months in prison, minus the eight already served, three years of supervised release and $2,000 in restitution.

Prosecutors urged the maximum possible sentence for the charge because his "now-famous criminal acts have made him the public face of the Capitol riot."

"The defendant was among the first 30 rioters to penetrate the U.S. Capitol building," the memo read. "The defendant then stalked the hallowed halls of the building, riling up other members of the mob with his screaming obscenities about our nation's lawmakers, and flouting the 'opportunity' to rid our government of those he has long considered to be traitors."

Chansley initially faced six counts that included knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Prosecutors threw out the additional charges when he agreed to plead guilty to the obstruction charge.

He's scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 17.

In May, District Judge Royce Lamberth ordered Chansley to undergo a psychological exam to determine if he was fit to stand trial. The judge stated that Chansley exhibited "a detachment from reality" and "does not understand the severity of the allegations against him."

Thousands of former President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 shortly after he gave a speech casting doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, which President Joe Biden won. The rioters attempted to disrupt members of Congress, who were holding a joint session to certify the results of the Electoral College from the November election.