QAnon Shaman Jacob Chansley Is Out of Prison and in an Arizona Halfway House

Jacob Chansley — better known as the QAnon Shaman — is out of federal prison and back in Arizona.

On Thursday, ABC15 reported that the infamous Capitol rioter and Phoenix native was released early from his 41-month prison sentence, which he was given for his role in the January 6, 2021 riots. Federal records indicate that Chansley is now in the care of a halfway house somewhere in Arizona — in Phoenix, Florence, Tucson, or Flagstaff.

In 2021, Chansley became something of the face of the Capitol riots thanks in part to his costume. Photographs of Chansley standing inside the U.S. Senate chambers garbed in a horned headdress, his face painted, and hoisting a spear quickly went viral. He had traveled with other Arizonans to Washington, D.C., ahead of the inauguration of President Joe Biden and was part of the mob that broke into the Capitol.

But Chansley, who grew up in Phoenix and graduated from Moon Valley High School, first got recognition for his right-wing protesting here in the Valley. In the months before the Capitol riots, Chansley frequently was seen at protests at the Arizona state Capitol over COVID-19 mandates and the 2020 election. Even then, he dressed in similar attire and raved about QAnon and other right-wing conspiracies.

His antics earned him the title of Best Insurgent from Phoenix New Times in its Best of Phoenix 2021.

"Phoenix reporters already knew him from local right-wing protests: He was a 33-year-old wanna-be actor who lived with his mom in Glendale after falling behind on rent at his own apartment (the same mom who complained on his behalf when he wasn't getting enough organic food in jail)," the Best Insurgent award noted.

Chansley was arrested three days after the riots, on January 9, and charged with disorderly conduct, violent entry, and obstruction of an official proceeding, among other criminal counts. He ultimately pleaded guilty in September 2021 to a single count of obstruction of an official proceeding — and received a 41-month sentence. Beginning in January 2022, he was held at a federal prison in Safford.

Chansley served 27 months before being released to a halfway house. Prison records indicate that as of Thursday, Chansley is under the care of RRM Phoenix, a residential reentry management bureau that oversees several halfway houses across Arizona. It is unclear which halfway house Chansley is located in.

Chansley's lawyer, Albert Watkins, confirmed to the Hill that Chansley was moved to a halfway house and said it was "appropriate this gentle and intelligent young man be permitted to move forward with the next stage of what undoubtedly will be a law-abiding and enriching life."

Chansley's projected release date is May 25.