FACT CHECK: Was The ‘QAnon Shaman’ Released Due To Footage Proving The Capitol Attack Was A Hoax?
A post shared on Facebook claims Capitol rioter Jacob Chansley, also known as the “QAnon Shaman,” was released from prison following the release of footage proving the Capitol attack was a “hoax.”
Verdict: False
There is no evidence for the claim. A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons confirmed that Chansley was recently transferred to community confinement and is scheduled to be released from prison in May.
Fact Check:
Chansley was sentenced to 41 months of jail time in November 2021 after he pleaded guilty to obstruction for his role in the Jan. 6 riot, according to BBC. He is expected to be released in May, which his lawyer says is due to good behavior, NPR reported.
A post shared on Facebook claims Chansley has already been released from prison. The post shares an image of him in the garb from the Jan. 6 riot and holding an American flag on a pole.
“BREAKING: Q Shaman has been RELEASED following video evidence showing that January 6 was a hoax & inside job!” the post’s caption reads.
The claim is fabricated, however. Chansley has been transferred from a federal prison to a “residential reentry management,” according to CBS News. Check Your Fact found no credible news reports about footage proving Jan. 6 was a “hoax” or “inside job.” (RELATED: Did Trump Share An Image Of Rioters Handing Flowers To Police On Jan. 6?)
A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) confirmed to Check Your Fact in an email, “Jacob Anthony Chansley transferred on March 28, 2023, from the Federal Correctional Institution Safford to community confinement overseen by the Bureau of Prisons’ (BOP) Phoenix Residential Reentry Management (RRM) Office.”
Chansley is currently in hometown of Phoenix, Arizona in a halfway house where his roommates say he “[keeps] to himself,” the New York Post reported. This development comes as part of the First Step Act, which states BOP is required to “house inmates in facilities as close to their primary residence as possible.”
Check Your Fact has reached out to Chansley’s attorney for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.
