10 Jan 30th-Feb 5th, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Caught and Released These Jan. 6 rioters from Arizona were pardoned by Donald Trump. BY TJ L’HEUREUX T he Arizonans who violently stormed the U.S. Capitol and tried to overturn an election were among the first criminals benefiting from Donald Trump’s second presidency. On Jan. 20, Trump issued a sweeping pardon to roughly 1,500 Americans convicted or charged with crimes for their involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection four years ago. Among them were at least 11 Arizonans — most notably Jacob Chansley, the infamous QAnon shaman known for his red, white and blue face paint and horned animal fur headdress. Chansley jubilantly responded to the news on X. “THANK YOU PRESIDENT TRUMP!!! NOW I AM GONNA BUY SOME MOTHA FU*KIN GUNS!!!” Chansley wrote. “J6ers are getting released & JUSTICE HAS COME... EVERYTHING done in the dark WILL come to light!” Arizona’s most MAGA furry was initially sentenced to 41 months in federal prison in November 2021 but was released early in March 2023. He has more than 150,000 followers on X, where his bio notes that the nickname QAnon Shaman “is a straw man (the media) created in an attempt to control the narrative & destroy my public image.” Still, he continues to use the personal imagery he became known for at the insurrection and has the word “shaman” in his X username. Chansley’s former lawyer, Albert Watkins, argued in 2021 that his client had “brain damage” and diminished mental faculties. Reached for comment on Jan. 21, Watkins echoed that assessment in a state- ment to Phoenix New Times. Watkins called Chansley an “extremely kind, gentle young man” with “mental health vulnera- bilities.” (However gentle Chansley is, he did carry a spear into the U.S. Capitol.) Watkins added he was unconcerned about Chansley’s “MOTHA FU*KIN GUNS” tweet. “Knowing Mr. Chansley, I am comfort- able with his X posting being nothing more than joy associated with his recovery of Constitutional rights, one of which is the right to bear arms,” Watkins said. “It certainly is not an indicator of nefarious plans.” Watkins also seemed to feel the pardons were too little, too late. “President Trump had the opportunity in 2021 to pardon the J6ers before Biden assumed office. President Trump elected not to do so,” Watkins said. “The pardons now are of little value. Most J6ers have pled or been found guilty, been sentenced and served their time. As a result, they may be pardoned but their convictions will forever remain a matter of public record.” Issuing a blanket pardon for Jan. 6 insurrectionists before the end of his first term would have been difficult for Trump since many had not yet been identified. For a brief time, Chansley ran for a West Valley congressional seat as a Libertarian. However, he failed to gather enough signa- tures to make the ballot and dropped out well before Abe Hamadeh won a crowded Republican primary of crackpots and later the general election. Trump isn’t the only politician who’s stood by Chansley. Last year, Chansley hung out in the Arizona Legislature as a personal guest of former state Sen. Anthony Kern. Here are the 10 other insurrectionists from Arizona who were pardoned by Trump on Jan. 6. Nathan Wayne Entrekin Now 50, Entrekin cosplayed during the Jan. 6 insurrection as Captain Moroni from the Book of Mormon. He was arrested at his family’s home in Cottonwood and pled guilty on Jan. 14, 2022. He was sentenced nearly four months later to 45 days in jail, 36 months of probation, 60 hours of community service and a $500 restitution payment. “Captain Moroni! Same fight, same place, different time. 76 B.C.!” Entrekin said in a video he took, according to the FBI. “Oh my gosh, how many of us are here? Must be like, millions. Couple million, maybe. I keep running into trees, though. I gotta get this first, though, before my costume falls off me. Check this out, Mom.” Andrew Hatley Though from South Carolina, Hatley was arrested in Eloy. He told investigators he was not at the Capitol during the insur- rection, but prosecutors found pictures he took inside the building. He eventually pled guilty to one charge and was sentenced to 36 months of probation. Micajah Joel Jackson Jackson, a Marine Corps veteran and resident of Maricopa, marched on the Capitol with the neo-fascist militant orga- nization Proud Boys on Jan. 6. He entered a plea agreement on Nov. 11, 2021, and was sentenced the following March to 36 months of probation, including 90 days in a halfway house. Jackson, on his X account “TheJFKReport,” responded to the pardon. “It’s clear to anyone paying attention that January 6th was a massive govern- ment operation aimed at silencing men like me,” Jackson wrote. “I would do it all over again for America.” Joshua Knowles Knowles, from Gilbert, was charged with a curfew violation on Jan. 6 when he refused to leave the Capitol grounds. He was arrested on Aug. 31, 2022, and indicted for his role in the insurrection. He was sentenced to seven months in prison and Jacob Chansley screams “freedom” inside the U.S. Senate chamber on Jan. 6, 2021. (Photo by Win McNamee / Getty Images) had served most of it before his pardon. “I will not be broken. I will always fight for freedom and liberty for myself and all Americans,” Knowles said on a fundraising website after he was sentenced. Cory and Felicia Konold The siblings from Tucson were both arrested on Feb. 11, 2021, and indicted two weeks later. Felicia and Cory were sentenced to 45 and 30 days in prison, respectively, as well as two years of super- vised release. According to the United States Attorney’s Office, the Konolds joined a group of Kansas City Proud Boys to march on the Capitol. They were “some of the first rioters to trample over the toppled barricades.” Israel Mark Matson Matson was living in Utah at the time of the insurrection but was arrested in Kingman after he moved there. He was sentenced to probation just weeks ago for spending 30 minutes inside the Capitol during Jan. 6. James Burton McGrew Though a resident of Mississippi, McGrew was arrested in Glendale while visiting his sister. While at the Capitol, he attacked at least two officers. McGrew pled guilty to assaulting, resisting or impeding officers and was sentenced on Jan. 20, 2023, to six and a half years in prison, three years of probation and $7,000 in fines and restitution. Edward Vallejo Vallejo, a Phoenix resident, was found guilty of seditious conspiracy for his role in the insurrection and involvement with the notorious far-right militia the Oath Keepers. The group’s leader, Stewart Rhodes, was sentenced to 18 years in prison and also pardoned by Trump. The Oath Keepers talked among them- selves about fighting in a “bloody” civil war and stashed guns at a Virginia hotel so they could shuttle guns to the Capitol if needed, but the weapons were never used. Vallejo was sentenced on Jan. 23, 2023, to three years in prison and three years of supervised release. Jacob Zerkle The 51-year-old resident of Bowie in south- eastern Arizona pled guilty to felony charges in October 2023 to assaulting officers. He was later sentenced to two years in prison and 36 months of super- vised release. Zerkle traveled from Arizona to Washington and joined a group of 75 to 100 Proud Boys, chanting “hang ’em high” while marching toward the Capitol. He placed his hands on and forcibly pushed various officers, yelling that they were “traitors.” | NEWS | | NEWS |
