WASHINGTON — A heavy metal guitarist who was part of the far-right Oath Keepers extremist group when he joined the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, avoided additional time behind bars when he was sentenced Friday to probation for his role in the attack.
Jon Ryan Schaffer, who founded the band Iced Earth, was the first Jan. 6 defendant to plead guilty to federal charges in 2021. The judge who handed down his sentence and prosecutors credited Schaffer for his decision to quickly accept responsibility and cooperate with Justice Department officials investigating the riot.
“It says a lot about who you are in how quickly you came forward to accept responsibility,” U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta told him during a hearing in Washington’s federal courthouse before sentencing him to three years of probation.
Standing before the judge, Schaffer apologized to his fans and said he deeply regrets the “pain and embarrassment” his actions have caused.
“You have my word: I will not let you down,” Schaffer told the judge.
He pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors in April 2021 to two counts: obstruction of an official proceeding, and entering and remaining in a restricted building with a dangerous or deadly weapon. He wasn’t accused of participating in any pre-planning or coordination with other Oath Keepers members, who have been convicted in separate cases of seditious conspiracy and other serious charges.
Schaffer came to Washington in November 2020 for the “Million MAGA March” to protest the results of the election. He told a journalist there that a “group of thugs and criminals hijacked this country,” adding: “We see you, and you’re going down, mark my words,” according to court papers.
On Jan. 6, Schaffer was wearing a hat that read “Oath Keepers Lifetime Member,” and a tactical vest and was carrying a can of bear spray. He was one of the first people to breach the Capitol through the doors on the northwest side of the building, prosecutors say.
He was inside for about 10 minutes, didn’t participate in any violence and destruction and already spent about three months in jail after his arrest, his attorney, Marc Victor said. Schaffer believed the 2020 election was fraudulent and that the country was “on the verge of a takeover” when he stormed the Capitol, Victor told the judge.
“He was wrong but that’s what he believed,” Victor said. “He was misled by people in the executive branch.”
More than 1,500 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. Approximately 1,200 of them have pleaded guilty or been convicted after trials decided by judges and juries. And over 1,000 of the defendants have been sentenced, with roughly two-thirds receiving a term of imprisonment ranging from a few days to 22 years.
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