Judge orders Justice Department to return helmet, spear to ‘QAnon shaman’
A federal judge on Monday ordered the Justice Department to return the spear and horned helmet worn by Jacob Chansley, the self-proclaimed “QAnon shaman,” as he stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Chansley, who was sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 events, requested in May that the government return property it seized from him at the time of his arrest, including the “horned coyote tail headdress” and “a six-foot pole with an American flag attached to the shaft and a metal spear point attached to the top,” as the government described them.
The Justice Department has rejected Chansley’s request, arguing in court documents that the objects, which were “used to project force during the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021,” should remain in federal custody.
But on Monday, Judge Royce Lambert sided with Chansley and ordered the government to return his “distinctive attire,” as it was described in court documents.
Jacob Chansley, also known as the “QAnon Shaman,” shouts “Freedom” inside the US Senate chamber after the Capitol was breached by a mob during a joint session of Congress in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021.
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“Mr. Chansley has completed his prison sentence and much of his supervised release. He has now sought the return of his seized property still in government custody, including his spear and helmet,” Judge Lamberth wrote.
“Because the government has not established that it still needs these items as evidence and has not requested their forfeiture, the court will grant Mr. Chansley’s motion,” the judge said.
More than 1,265 people have been charged in the Capitol attack, with prosecutors obtaining more than 718 guilty pleas, leading to the incarceration of more than 460 defendants, according to the Justice Department.
