QAnon Conspiracy and the Prison Industrial Complex, in the Matter of Jacob Chansley

Jacob Chansley, the so-called “QAnon Shaman”, has officially withdrawn his appeal of the 41 month sentence he was given, after pleading guilty to a single count of felony obstruction of an official proceeding.

It was thought by some that he would be able to argue he had ineffectual counsel from his former attorney, Albert Watkins, who suggested at times that his client was somehow mentally disabled, and led to his unfortunate fate by President Donald Trump.

On January 6th, 2021, the normally soft-spoken Arizona man, who admittedly employed theatrical elements of shamanism when donning his buffalo headdress, became the public face of the riot. The image of him in an outfit he says was designed to ward off evil spirits was plastered beneath every sensational and violent headline one can imagine, even though he committed no acts of violence or vandalism that day.

In fact, after he was given tacit approval by Capitol Police officers to continue protesting in the building, he cried out to those around him in his signature shaman style, “We have to remain peaceful! We have the right to peacefully assemble!”

He went on to stand at the head of the Senate Dais, before taking a seat in then Vice President Pence’s chair, and leaving a note that read, “It's Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming!”.

In a post-sentencing interview, in January 2022, Jacob told CBS’ Inside Edition he regretted not doing more to make sure the day remained peaceful.

“If I had known that was going to happen, I would have stepped in before the barricades were breached,” he explained, “I actually tried to calm down the crowd on more than one occasion, it just didn't work.”

Although his guilty plea allowed him to be sentenced in accordance with only one of the 6 federal crimes he was originally charged with, language required that he also agree and acknowledge, under penalty of perjury, that the charges to be dismissed were indeed “based in fact.”

Also part of the agreement was the requirement that he waive nearly every method of appealing the resulting conviction, or his then yet to be determined sentence. His only remaining grounds for appeal was consequently limited to that which could be substantiated by “newly discovered evidence”, or “ineffective assistance of counsel”.

In the Statement of Offense, Jacob agreed to characterizations of his encounters with police that seem to contradict reality, bolstering the government’s argument that no approval to protest was ever implied by police that day. Through this agreement, he ensured that the video used to bring an indictment against him would never have the potential to be seen as exculpatory.

In his final acceptance of the plea, Jacob signed off on a statement that affirmed his satisfaction with legal services provided by his attorney, Albert Watkins, effectively neutering any chance of appeal on the grounds of “ineffective counsel”.

As we look at the plea agreement Jacob made, it’s important to understand the statistical realities at play when a defendant faces federal charges.

According to a Pew Research Center Study from 2018, 90% of all federal cases filed that year were resolved through a guilty plea, with only 2% ever going to trial. Of the nearly 80,000 who did, a mere 320 were able to secure an acquittal.

Considering the .04% chance of being acquitted, it should come as no surprise that defendants, like Jacob, who face decades in prison, would be motivated to agree to things they know to be lies.

In full understanding of the odds, the federal government has made it routine practice to overcharge defendants, as a proven method of tipping the scales of justice toward their already formidable advantage. Although the practice has been decried by some to be prosecutorial misconduct, it is, in fact, perfectly legal and quite commonplace.

Nevertheless, many have suggested that this practice has been abused greatly over the course of the last 20 years, in order to exploit those with limited resources, mental disorders, and otherwise disadvantaged states of being.

With over 250 guilty pleas having already been secured in January 6th related cases, it could be argued that threatening selfie-snapping grandmothers with the potential of 3 years in prison has been a surefire way for the Department of Justice to maintain their obscene winning percentage.

In a brief conversation with Jacob, when I met him in Phoenix, AZ on November 29, 2020, I never felt as though he was mentally disabled.

He struck me as an intelligent, kindhearted man with a sincere desire to make the world a better place.

Many in the crowd that had assembled in front of the hotel where Rudy Giuliani presented evidence of election fraud to members of the Arizona State legislature felt that Jacob was a liability to their movement. They said his alignment with QAnon delegitimized their grievances.

I questioned him about his beliefs in QAnon, as I was beginning to understand just how powerful the idea had become, along with it’s potential to do great harm. He assured me that it was a patriotic movement against a deep state cabal.

I asked him if he had considered that it might be a psychological warfare tool, or some other form of controlled opposition management. He said he had, but explained how he had experience with naval intelligence, and consequently believed the drops to be worthy of following.

His self-reported intelligence experience has never been officially corroborated, with personnel records showing that Jacob retired from Naval service in 2007 as an E-2, after serving as a supply clerk seaman apprentice for two years.

It would later be revealed in court by his then attorney Albert Watkins that certain mental issues were identified by the Navy during his service, but Jacob had never been made aware of them, nor was he provided with appropriate treatment.

In retrospect, it seems wholly appropriate to think that Jacob was subject to a certain amount of delusional thinking, but to call him a violent insurrectionist remains patently absurd.

One might also be inclined to wonder who exactly he was getting information from, while scouring the internet for secret Q drops, in the months ahead of January 6th.

When money and power are involved, those who possess both have never proven themselves to be squeamish about destroying common people’s lives.

In consideration of the US Government’s long, documented history of conducting psychological warfare abroad, would it be absurd to think that they could potentially conduct a similar campaign at home?

Would it be laughable to think that Jacob is but a victim in a much bigger plot?

Is it also unreasonable to think that he pled guilty due to draconian federal prosecution tactics?

Considering the preponderance of information now available to the public, perhaps Americans from all sides of the political spectrum are being given a chance to rethink their understanding of the prison industrial complex, the true nature of QAnon conspiracy, and the buffalo skinned “insurrectionist” who became ensnared by the system he once volunteered to serve.

18 U.S.C. § 231(a)(3)
(Civil Disorder)

18 U.S.C. § 1512{c)(2)
(Obstruction of an Official Proceeding)

18 U.S.C. § l 752(a)(l)
(Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building)

18 U.S.C. § 1752(a)(2)
(Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building)

40 U.S.C. § 5104(e){2){A)
(Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building)

40 U.S.C. § 5104(e)(2)(G)
(Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building)