Iced Earth guitarist and patriotic snowflake Jon Schaffer who was associated with Oath Keepers pleaded guilty Friday to two crimes related to the US Capitol insurrection, making him the first rioter to do so.
Jon Ryan Schaffer pleaded guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding and entering a building with a dangerous weapon. He admitted to carrying bear spray into the Capitol complex during the formal certification of the Electoral College votes.
One hundred days after the January 6 attack, Schaffer is now the first pro-Trump rioter to plead guilty and admit his crimes. His plea was in the works for at least a few weeks, and recent court filings revealed that he met with federal investigators for several “debrief interviews” last month.
Prosecutors and Schaffer’s attorneys agreed to recommend that he get between 3.5 and 4.5 years in prison, based on how fruitful his cooperation is with the government. The sentencing decision will ultimately be made by federal Judge Amit Mehta, who is overseeing the case.
Investigators likely asked for information about the Oath Keepers, the far-right paramilitary group with a dozen members facing conspiracy charges. Schaffer wore an “Oath Keepers Lifetime Member” hat inside the Capitol, but his defense attorneys have distanced him from the group, saying he bought the hat from a fan and doesn’t know anything about the organization.
As part of the plea deal, Schaffer agreed to cooperate with investigators and potentially testify in related criminal cases, according to the court proceedings. In return for Schaffer’s assistance, the Justice Department might later urge the judge to show leniency during his sentencing.
What an outstanding, amazing patriot. It’s so cool that they all stood by each other so proudly and had each other’s backs…. until they got arrested and now they are ratting each other out for plea deals. Gotta love them snowflakes.
The other good news is we won’t have to hear any Iced Earth music anytime soon.
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