‘QAnon Shaman’ Jacob Chansley unrecognizable in mugshot without headdress, makeup and tattoos from Capitol riots
A mugshot of Jacob Chansley -- the so-called "Qanon Shaman" -- behind jailhouse walls was released by officials in Alexandria, Virginia, on Thursday evening. Chansley bears little immediate resemblance to his recognizable self, better described by his own attorney as “the guy with the horns and the fur, the meditation, and organic food." Chansley's mugshot has him wearing a simple green collared shirt - a significant departure from his viral get up with the headdress, war paint, and tattoos that he sported during the Capitol riots.
Chansley was transferred to the Alexandria Detention Center Thursday afternoon as the facility agreed to accommodate his requests for an organic diet. A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Chansley must be offered organic meals in line with his religious beliefs in Shamanism. Chansley was moved to Virginia after the Washington, D.C. Department of Corrections said it would be “unable to comply” with that order. According to Chansley's attorney, he hadn't eaten in almost a week after the D.C. facility did not provide him with the requested accommodation, Law & Crime reported.
On several occasions, mugshots of federal inmates are hard to obtain. In 2016, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals maintained that arrested suspects can put forth their privacy interests when it came to booking photos, meaning authorities need not necessarily make images of inmates to the media. A number of judges ruled that mugshots “convey guilt” and “haunt the depicted individual for decades.”
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Federal inmates, however, are sometimes housed by state or local law enforcement agencies - as is now the case with Chansley. Considering, a federal inmate's mugshot may be released if it is pursuant to state law. Accused Capitol rioter Adam Johnson's mugshot was released by Florida authorities due to the Sunshine State's liberal open records laws. Meanwhile, mugshots are difficult to obtain in some states such as New York, owing to a recent change in state law that severely restricts access to these images, according to Law & Crime. That said, a number of photos of Capitol suspects that appear to be mugshots are, in fact, driver's license photos that federal authorities have embedded with their affidavits. The FBI located several people at the Capitol siege by comparing driver's license photos to images taken at the federal building on January 6, according to numerous court records.
Meanwhile, federal authorities found Chansley's identity via media reports, not by a search of the driver's license database.
It's worth noting that the Alexandria Detention Center -- where Chansley is currently being held -- had also released a mugshot of Paul Manafort, who attorney's reportedly balked when he was moved to the D.C. area facility. Judge T. S. Ellis, however, reassured Manafort’s attorneys that “the professionals at Alexandria Detention Center are very familiar with housing high-profile defendants, including foreign and domestic terrorists, spies and traitors.”
The judge's snarky comments came after he ruled that the former Donald Trump campaign chairman should be held at a location closer to his legal team pending trial. Last month, MEAWW reported how Chansley had asked to testify at Trump's historic second impeachment trial in the Senate, which is scheduled to begin next week. Watkins said his client was "horrendously smitten" by Trump but felt let down after the latter refused to include Chansley among the 100+ last-minute pardons in his final hours in the office. "He felt like he was betrayed by the president," said Watkins.
The lawyer clarified that he had not spoken to any member of the Senate since announcing Chansley's offer, but said it would be important for the senators to hear the voice of someone who claims to be "incited" by the former president.