Jan. 6 rioter 'QAnon Shaman' Jacob Chansley secures early release from prison to halfway house, lawyer says

close

Video

'QAnon Shaman's' lawyer: This is a tragedy

Attorney Albert Watkins, who represented Jacob Chansley, reacts to newly released, apparently exculpatory footage of his client on Jan. 6 on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight.'

Jacob Chansley, the Navy veteran and Jan. 6, 2021 rioter dubbed the "QAnon Shamn" for his infamous horned costume, has been released from prison to a halfway house, according to his lawyer. 

"For the record: Jake is out on schedule," Chansley's attorney Bill Shipley tweeted early Thursday morning. 

"I told him 16 months ago in our first conversation it would be Feb. or Mar. 2023," Shipley said. "BOP [Federal Bureau of Prisons] math. I didn’t do anything extraordinary–this was always the schedule, I just understood it and could explain it to him. He was expecting 12 more mos."

U.S. Bureau of Prisons records state Chansley's current location as RRM Phoenix, an administrative office that provides oversight of halfway houses in Arizona and southern Nevada. 

FORMER LAWYER FOR ‘QANON SHAMAN’ SAYS JAN. 6 FOOTAGE WASN'T SHOWN TO CLIENT, CALLS PRISON SENTENCE A ‘TRAGEDY’

A mug shot of Jacob Chansley. (Alexandria Sheriff's Office)

Chansley, 35, is widely recognizable as the shirtless and face-painted man who, according to one federal judge, became the "very image" of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Numerous pictures and videos from the riot show Chansley carrying an American flag through the Capitol building as a mob of then-President Trump's supporters engaged in violent confrontations with police outside. 

Footage from the Capitol obtained by Fox News host Tucker Carlson shows Chansley being escorted around the building by Capitol Police officers. At one point, at least nine police officers were seen close to Chansley, and none of them slowed him down.

After the riot, Chansley was arrested and charged in connection to the riot. He pleaded guilty to civil disorder and violent entry to the Capitol in September 2021. 

The Department of Justice said that Chansley entered the Capitol building at 2:14 p.m. and eventually went onto the Senate floor, taking pictures at the dais. He was accused of saying "Mike Pence is a f---ing traitor," and writing a note that read, "It’s Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming!"

TUCKER CARLSON RELEASES EXCLUSIVE JAN. 6 FOOTAGE, SAYS POLITICANS, MEDIA LIED ABOUT SICKNICK, ‘QANON SHAMAN’

In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 file photo, supporters of then-President Trump, including Jacob Chansley, center with fur and horned hat, are confronted by Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol in Washington. A video showed Chansley leading others in a prayer inside the Senate chamber. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Federal Judge Royce Lamberth sentenced Chansley to 41 months in prison in November 2021. 

In a lengthy speech at his sentencing hearing, Chansley said he was "wrong for entering the Capitol" and did not excuse his actions.

"I am in no way, shape or form a violent criminal… no way a domestic terrorist," Chansley said. "I'm a good man who broke the law. … I am truly repentant for my actions."

Chansley's trial attorney, Albert Watkins, said he was pleased with his former client's release.

TUCKER CARLSON TALKS EXCLUSIVELY WITH KEY CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER IGNORED JAN. 6 PANEL AMID FOOTAGE RELEASE

Supporters of then-President Trump, including Jacob Chansley, center, enter the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. Demonstrators breached security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

"After serving 11 months in solitary prior to his sentence being imposed, and only 16 months of his sentence thereafter, it is 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," Watkins said in a statement. 

"I applaud the decision of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons in this regard," he added.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Shipley, who represents more than 25 Jan. 6 defendants, said that Chansley will comment on the matter "when it is the right time to do so." 

Fox News' Jake Gibson and Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.