Jake Angeli Getty Images
Jake Angeli was detained after joining hundreds of others to storm the Capitol on January 6.
Win McNamee/ Staff/ Getty Images
  • Jake Angeli, a far-right conspiracy theorist from Arizona known as “Q Shaman,” stormed the Capitol last Wednesday with hundreds of others.
  • The Department of Justice announced that Angeli, whose real name is Jacob Anthony Chansley, was charged with disorderly conduct, violent entry, and illegally being in the Capitol.
  • At Angeli’s federal hearing, his mother said he hadn’t eaten in custody since Friday due to his strict diet. “He gets very sick if he doesn’t eat organic food. He needs to eat,” she said.
  • After his mother’s comments were reported, people began mocking Angeli online for refusing to eat non-organic food while in custody.
  • A dietitian told Insider that the difference in pesticides between organic and non-organic food likely wouldn’t cause a severe physical reaction.
  • Neither the dietitian or Insider has reviewed Angeli’s medical records.
  • Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Jake Angeli, the shirtless man who stormed the Capitol with hundreds of others last Wednesday, refused to eat while in custody unless officials accommodated his all-organic diet. 

Angeli, whose real name is Jacob Anthony Chansley, was seen in photos and videos participating in the January 6 Capitol riots, taking pictures at the Senate dais and roaming through the building holding a megaphone. He donned a fur hat with bull horns and wore red, white, and blue face paint. 

Five people died in the Capitol riots, including a Capitol police officer who sustained injuries while responding to the riot.

While news of Angeli’s arrest and detainment have topped recent headlines, one detail about his dietary restrictions sent social media into a frenzy.

The Arizona Republic reported that at Angeli’s first hearing with Judge Deborah Fine, his public defender revealed that Angeli had not eaten since his arrest on Friday. The public defender said Angeli, 33, had a restricted diet but was not sure if it was for religious reasons.

Martha Chansley, Angeli's mother, spoke to reporters outside the courthouse and offered more details about her son refusing to eat while in jail.

"He gets very sick if he doesn't eat organic food. He needs to eat," she said. 

On Monday, David Gonzales, US Marshal for the District of Arizona, told local news station KNXV that "We will abide by the judge's order" and provide food that accommodates his organic diet. 

US prisons provide medical, religious, and "therapeutic" dietary accommodations to inmates, according to the US Marshal's Detention Standards handbook. Insider reached out to the US Marshal to clarify whether organic food is included, but had not heard back at the time of publication. 

Angeli was mocked for refusing to eat non-organic food while in custody

The word "organic" began to trend on Twitter following news of Angeli's hearing Monday night, and people flooded the social-media platform with their reactions.

"It's a jail, Jacob. It isn't a Whole Foods," one person wrote.

Another person tweeted, "My apologies sir. We do not serve organic food at the Château County Jail nor the Federal Resort."

"I can't, I just can't," another added. "The dude that wore a costume with the horns on his head when he stormed the Capitol, is in jail and is on a hunger strike because they won't feed him organic food."

"I'm going to have one of my black clients in jail today demand organic food. Just to see what happens," wrote Ron Filipowski, whose Twitter bio states he is a former state and federal prosecutor in Florida. 

Many people said the situation exemplified white privilege. 

 

"That may be the funniest take on 'White Privilege' expecting organic food while in jail!" wrote one person. 

Singer Holly Figueroa O'Reilly wrote, "This white privilege sandwich has everything: white man, his mom, demands organic food. Do we have Jacob Chansley's mugshot yet?" 

A dietitian weighs in 

Insider spoke with a registered dietitian who said the difference in the amount of pesticides between organic food and non-organic food wasn't likely to cause a severe physiological reaction.

"The truth is, foods that are labeled as organic could still contain some trace pesticides," Lisa Moskovitz, RD, founder and CEO of The NY Nutrition Group, told Insider.

Neither Moskovitz nor Insider have viewed Angeli's medical history prior to publication. 

"The organic might have less pesticides, but it's not going to be necessarily pesticide-free. So, whatever could be causing somebody to get ill between organic and non-organic doesn't necessarily add up," she said. 

Moskovitz said the human body is capable of filtering out pesticides, "so this sounds like somebody who's built up this idea in their head that this food could directly cause them to get ill. It's not really something that's scientific, it's more psychological."

Moskovitz noted that the nutrition industry, now more than ever, has seen individuals struggle with their relationship to food.

"So that's a common thing that's happening - self-diagnosing. These food fears can become so severe that it could create health complications because the stress is so profound," said Moskovitz. 

Insider's Toketemu Ohwovoriole similarly reported that while organic food may be better for you in some ways, there is no clear evidence that eating organic food makes a significant health difference.

Angeli has been associated with QAnon

Angeli, who's known as "Q Shaman," has been charged with disorderly conduct, violent entry, and illegally being on restricted spaces within the Capitol grounds.

For years, Angeli has been visibly involved with QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory that pushes the unsubstantiated claim that President Donald Trump is battling a "deep-state cabal" of human traffickers and pedophiles. Individuals associated with QAnon have been found at "Stop the Steal" protests after President-elect Joe Biden won the 2020 race.

Rioters who stormed the Capitol were spotted wearing Q memorabilia.

Judge Fine ordered that Angeli be held until January 15 as she decides if he will face charges in Washington, DC. Gonzalez told the Arizona Republic that Angeli would face charges that could keep him behind bars for "years and years."

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