'QAnon Shaman' Jake Angeli Refusing to Eat Non-Organic Jail Food After Capitol Riot Arrest, His Mom Says

Jake Angeli, the Phoenix man who wore a fur hat with horns and no shirt during the pro-Trump riot [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

Jake Angeli, the Phoenix man who wore a fur hat with horns and no shirt during the pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, appeared in federal court on Monday for the first time since he turned himself in at the FBI's office in Phoenix. The 33-year-old's public defender told the judge he has not eaten since he was taken into custody, and his mother said he needs to eat organic food. Angeli is facing charges that could keep him behind bars for "years and years," U.S. Marshal for Phoenix, David Gonzalez, said, reports the Arizona Republic.

During the hearing, Angeli told Magistrate Judge Deborah Fine he was OK with appearing in court via telephone to follow coronavirus pandemic protocols. The judge ordered him to be held in custody until Friday, at which point she will decide if Angeli will face charges in Washington, D.C., while in or out of custody. Angeli told the judge he could not afford an attorney but said a "certain friend of mine" might be able to provide him with a lawyer in the future.

Angeli was charged with "knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds." The defendant legally changed his name to Jacob Anthony Angeli Chansley in 2005, so the federal case was filed with that name.

His public defender, Gerald Williams, told Fine Angeli has not eaten since Saturday because of a restricted diet. Fine said he "needs to eat" and told Williams to contact officials about the issue. After the hearing, Angeli's mother, Martha Chansley, told reporters her son "gets very sick if he doesn't eat organic food" and "needs to eat." Gonzalez later told the Republic the U.S. Marshals' office is "required to accommodate" and inmates' needs.

Angeli was seen at the Capitol bare-chested, wearing a fur hat with his and red, white, and blue facepaint. e carried a six-foot spear into the building and at one point took the dais from the U.S. Senate chamber. After the riot, he told NBC News he did nothing wrong. "I walked through an open door, dude," Angeli said before starting his trip back to Arizona. His photo was featured on an FBI bulletin asking for information on people who took part in the riot though. He contacted the FBI on Thursday, according to a sworn statement. On Saturday, he turned himself in and told the FBI he went to Washington to "answer" President Donald Trump's call for his supporters to gather in D.C., a Capitol police agent said in a sworn statement.

Angeli and his outfit were familiar in Arizona, as he often wore the same attire at protests there. Last year, he spoke with the Republic, when the paper profiled Phoenix residents who believe in the unfounded QAnon conspiracy theory. When Trump visited Phoenix, Angeli called a sign reading "Q sent me" and asked the crowd outside if they knew who Q was.

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