QAnon Shaman Jacob Chansley is seen for the first time since he was released from prison early

The so-called ‘QAnon Shaman’ Jacob Chansley has been pictured for the first time since being released from prison to a halfway house 14 months early.

Chansley, 35, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison after storming the US Capitol on January 6.

Exclusive pictures obtained by DailyMail.com show Chansley wearing a shirt emblazoned with the word ‘freedom’, at a federal halfway house just a few miles from Phoenix, Arizona. 

He was released into the housing project, owned by Behavioral Systems Southwest, which has 78 beds, on Thursday. 

It is a re-entry Center contracted through the Federal Bureau of Prisons and US Probation.

Chansley, 35, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison after storming the US Capitol on January 6 

The property has 62 beds for men and 16 beds for women, with Chansley scheduled to stay in the property until May 2023, according to the BOP website. 

Chansley was spotted on the top floor of the building, located in a middle-class neighborhood in downtown Phoenix.

He was spotted coming and going from the unit to grab food before standing outside and smiling with a large mug in his hand.

Sporting a beanie and a sweatshirt, Chansley cut a very different figure to the one who broke into the Capitol on January 6 wearing a horned headdress and face paint. 

He appeared to be talking to someone on the phone as he clutched a large silver mug and walked on the property’s balcony in bright blue shorts. 

Chansley grinned as he paced the balcony, but has yet to leave the gated property, which has security cameras covering all entrances.  

The property has 62 beds for men and 16 beds for women, with Chansley scheduled to stay in the property until May 2023, according to the BOP website

Wearing a beanie and a sweatshirt, Chansley cut a very different figure to the one who broke into the Capitol on January 6 wearing a horned headdress and face paint

He appeared to be talking to someone on the phone as he clutched a large silver mug and walked on the property’s balcony in bright blue shorts.

Chansley was transferred from FCI Stafford federal prison in Arizona to community confinement in the Phoenix area, after serving just under 27 total months in prison, a Bureau of Prisons (BOP) spokesman confirmed in a statement to DailyMail.com on Thursday.

The spokesman declined to comment on the reason for the transfer, but pointed generally to federal laws that allow for good-conduct sentence reductions, as well as release to a halfway house for the final 12 months of a sentence.

Chansley’s release comes weeks after his former attorney demanded he be freed in light of new video from the Capitol riot, but his move to the halfway house appears to be unconnected. 

A former federal prosecutor unconnected with the case said it was doubtful public pressure played a role in Chansley’s transfer, noting the move appears ‘kind of routine’ under BOP guidelines. 

‘For safety, and security reasons, we do not discuss the conditions of confinement for any inmate, including transfers or release plans, nor do we specify an individual’s specific location while in community confinement,’ the BOP spokesman said. 

Chansley grinned as he paced the balcony, but has yet to leave the gated property, which has security cameras covering all entrances.

He was spotted on the top floor of the building, located in a middle-class neighborhood in downtown Phoenix

Chansley was transferred from FCI Stafford federal prison in Arizona to community confinement in the Phoenix area, after serving just under 27 total months in prison

In a statement to DailyMail.com, Albert S. Watkins, the attorney who handled Chansley’s plea and sentencing, applauded his transfer to a halfway house

‘Community confinement’ can refer to either house arrest or a halfway house, but Chansley’s former attorney said that he had been moved to the latter. 

The Bureau of Prison confirmed that Chansley is in the custody of the Residential Reentry Management field office in Phoenix, which contracts with halfway houses to help inmates prepare to reenter society. His release date is set for May 25. 

Federal inmates can receive a 15 percent reduction in their prison sentence for good behavior behind bars, and can also serve the final 12 months of their sentences in halfway houses at the discretion of the Bureau of Prisons. 

With his elaborate garb and face paint, Chansley became known as the face of the riot on January 6, 2021, in which supporters of former President Donald Trump illegally entered the US Capitol and temporarily disrupted the certification of Joe Biden’s election to the presidency. 

In a statement to DailyMail.com, Albert S. Watkins, the attorney who handled Chansley’s plea and sentencing, applauded his transfer to a halfway house.

Chansley is seen being followed through the Capitol by a police officer on January 6, 2021

Earlier this month, Watkins had argued that Chansley should be freed after Fox News host Tucker Carlson aired previously unseen footage from the riot

‘After serving eleven months in solitary prior to his sentence being imposed, and only 16 months of his sentence thereafter, it is appropriate this gentle and intelligent young man be permitted to move forward with the next stage of what undoubtedly will be a law abiding and enriching life,’ said Watkins.

‘I applaud the decision of the US Bureau of Prison in this regard,’ added Watkins. 

Watkins declined to speculate on the reason for Chansley’s early release, saying: ‘This was a decision of the US Bureau of Prisons. I cannot speak for the US Bureau of Prisons.’

In recent weeks, prominent figures including billionaire Elon Musk had called for Chansley’s release, citing new footage that appeared to show him being ‘escorted’ by cops inside the Capitol during the riot. 

However, former federal prosecutor Neama Ramani, the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, told DailyMail.com that it was unlikely the intense scrutiny on Chansley’s case had any impact on his early release.

‘I don’t think it has anything to do with media [or] public pressure,’ said Ramani, who is not connected with the case. 

He noted that release of inmates to halfway houses for the final 12 months of their sentences was ‘kind of routine for the Bureau of Prisons,’ particularly for inmates without a lengthy criminal history. 

With his elaborate garb and face paint, Chansley became known as the face of the riot on January 6, 2021

‘Despite the violent nature of the Capitol riots, most of the rioters had little to no criminal history,’ said Ramani. 

Earlier this month, Watkins had argued that Chansley should be freed after Fox News host Tucker Carlson aired previously unseen footage from the riot. 

Carlson used his Fox News show to broadcast clips showing Chansley inside the US Capitol.

Chansley appears to be escorted inside the building by Capitol Police officers, while other officers allow the chest-baring, horn-wearing Trump supporter to pass. 

On Carlson’s broadcast, Chansley’s former lawyer said he had not been shown the new footage, which the conservative news anchor said was ‘clearly exculpatory’. 

Carlson used the footage to argue that the rioters were ‘sightseers’, and ‘mostly peaceful’.

Other evidence omitted by Carlson shows that Chansley entered the Capitol without permission

Tucker Carlson released footage from inside the Capitol on January 6, including clips showing the ‘QAnon Shaman’, Jacob Chansley (above), being apparently ‘escorted’ in the building

However, other evidence omitted by Carlson shows that Chansley entered the Capitol without permission, was repeatedly asked to leave the building, and was not accompanied by cops at all times. 

For instance, a statement signed by signed by Chansley and his attorney contradicts the suggestion that he was ‘escorted’ by cops throughout the riot. 

The statement admits that Chansley entered the Capitol through a broken door as part of a crowd that ‘was not lawfully authorized to enter or remain in the building’ and that he was one of the first 30 rioters inside. 

It also notes that although officers asked Chansley and others multiple times to leave the Capitol, he did not comply and actively urged on his fellow rioters. 

The statement describes Chansley’s interactions with officers during the breach, but also points out that he ‘entered the Gallery of the Senate alone.’

Watkins has previously said that his former client disavows the ‘QAnon’ conspiracy theory, and prefers to be known simply as ‘the Shaman’.