The so-called “QAnon shaman” has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors over his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, according to court records.
Jacob Chansley, who was indicted on multiple counts just days after images surfaced showing him among thousands of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol building, is scheduled for a plea agreement via video conference on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The terms of the plea deal were not immediately disclosed, and it is unclear what sentence Chansley, who has been in jail since his arrest on Jan. 9, will be given.
The plea agreement comes after a federal grand jury indicted Chansley on Jan. 11 on six counts, including civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct in a restricted building, violent entry, and picketing inside the Capitol building.
Chansley became one of the most prominent Capitol riot suspects in the media after a number of photographs showing him shirtless, covered in face paint, and wearing a hat with animal horns were circulated widely on the internet.
His attorney, Albert Watkins, has put forward a defense strategy arguing Chansley’s repeated exposure to claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent and his mental health issues were responsible for his involvement in the riot.
“He had no plan,” Watkins told the Washington Examiner on Thursday of Chansley’s entering the Capitol, adding that his client had no nefarious motives or criminal history. “He was the tattooed-nipple, horn-wearing guy who was allowing people to take selfies with him while he screamed freedom and strolled down Pennsylvania Avenue.”
Watkins has tried on multiple occasions to have his client released from jail over the course of his legal proceedings but has been repeatedly denied.
Another request to secure Chansley’s release is before the court, Watkins said.
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The Justice Department has filed charges against more than 500 defendants accused of participating in the Jan. 6 riot. About three dozen defendants have entered guilty pleas.
