Photo: Twitter / Johnny Silvercloud / Shutterstock
One year later.
By Alice Kelly — Written on Jan 06, 2022
One year ago today, spurred on by President Trump’s message to “fight like hell” a mob of Trump supporters, Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and QAnon conspiracy theorists converged at the U.S. Capitol and rampaged through the halls of Congress.
In their unsuccessful efforts to stop Congress from formalizing President Biden’s victory in the 2020 election, many were injured and five people died either before, during or shortly after the event.
Four police officers who responded to the attack also died by suicide within seven months.
Justice is still being served against many of the 700 people charged in the attack, there are too many rioters to name them all. But some key figures behind the most significant images from the fateful day have been tried.
Where are the Capitol rioters now?
Here are some of the most infamous faces from the January 6 attacks and where they are now.
Jacob Chansley, the ‘QAnon Shaman.’
Johnny Silvercloud / Shutterstock
Chansley, with his horned hat and an American flag attached to a spear rapidly became one of the most recognizable images from inside the Capitol as the riot unfolded.
The self-professed “QAnon Shaman” had already found internet fame in right-wing circles for espousing conspiracy theories at pro-Trump rallies so it didn’t take long for him to be identified.
The Arizona native was arrested on January 9.
Chansley told the FBI that he came to DC in January "at the request of the president" that all "patriots" come to the city.
Chansley pleaded guilty to one felony count of obstruction and, in November 2021, was sentenced to 41 months in prison.
Robert Palmer who threw a fire extinguisher at police officers.
YouTube
The Florida man wore a distinctive red-white-and-blue flag-styled jacket as he made his way into some of the most severe fighting on January 6.
There, prosecutors say, he threw a wooden plank at the police, while other rioters engaged in violent hand-to-hand combat with riot police attempting to protect the building.
Palmer also sprayed a fire extinguisher at officers and then hurled the empty canister at them.
In December 2021, he was sentenced to five years in prison.
This is, so far, the longest sentence that has been handed down to the more than 700 people charged in the attack.
Jenna Ryan who posed next to a broken Capitol window.
Twitter
Ryan’s now-infamous photo posing with a peace sign next to the broken glass was quickly spread across social media.
Since then, Ryan has become a vocal rioter throughout her criminal trial.
“We just stormed the Capital. It was one of the best days of my life,” she wrote on Twitter on the day of the riot.
In the aftermath of the riot, the Texas realtor seemed confident that she would not face punishment for her crimes.
“Sorry, I have blonde hair, white skin, a great job, a great future, and I’m not going to jail,” she wrote on Twitter.
She was later sentenced to 60 days in prison, reporting to federal prison on December 21 but not before she sat down for a self-pitying interview in which she compared the backlash she received to the experience of “the Jews in Germany.”
“They’re making fun of my skin color. They’re calling me an ‘insurrection Barbie,’” she said.
Richard Barnett who broke into Nancy Pelosi’s office.
The image of Barnett sitting with his feet up on Speaker Pelosi’s desk that circulated in the midst of the insurrection was a concerning sign of how far these rioters were willing to go inside the Capitol.
The 60-year-old self-proclaimed white nationalist from Arkansas allegedly carried a stun gun on the day of the attack.
On December 28, 2020 – shortly before the riot – he wrote a concerning Facebook post saying he “came into this world kicking and screaming, covered in someone else’s blood” before adding: “I’m not afraid to go out the same way.”
Barnett faces seven federal charges, including entering and remaining in a restricted building dangerous weapon, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail if proven beyond a reasonable doubt. He has pleaded not guilty, and a date has not been set for his trial.
Kevin Seefried who carried a Confederate flag.
Twitter
Seefried was photographed waving a Confederate flag in the Capitol on January 6 – something not even Confederates were allowed to do during the Civil War.
Seefried was later arrested, along with his son Hunter, and indicted on five counts related to obstruction, entering restricted property and disorderly conduct.
His trial is set for June 2022.
Adam Johnson who took Pelosi’s lectern.
Another famous image from January 6 was Johson smiling as he carried Speaker Pelosi’s podium out of the House floor.
In November 2021, Johnson, 36, told a judge that he accepted responsibility for getting "caught up in the moment.”
He also said that a "hard couple of years" led him to spend a lot of time "listening to a lot of information and reading things" online.
He pleaded guilty on Monday to a low-level charge of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds.
A sentencing hearing has been set for February 25, 2022. Guidelines in Johnson’s plea agreement call for him to receive up to six months in prison
Alice Kelly is a senior news and entertainment editor for YourTango. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, her work covers all things social justice, pop culture, and human interest. Keep up with her Twitter for more.