A sentencing date has been established for Iced Earth’s Jon Schaffer concerning his participation in the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol Building. Schaffer has pleaded guilty to charges of obstructing a Congressional proceeding and unlawfully entering the Capitol grounds while armed with bear spray. These guilty pleas were part of a larger plea agreement that resulted in the dismissal of other charges against him. In exchange for this cooperation, he agreed to provide information to prosecutors about the Oath Keepers, an extremist group he claimed to be a founding and lifelong member of. The severity of Schaffer’s sentence will be influenced by the extent of his assistance to the authorities. Previously, he faced a potential prison term of between three and a half to four and a half years. Separately, Schaffer is also facing a civil lawsuit filed by the District of Columbia for his role in the riot.
U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta has designated February 20, 2024, as the date for Jon Schaffer’s sentencing in relation to his involvement in the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. Judge Mehta has referred Schaffer to the U.S. Probation Office for the creation of a presentence investigation report. The final version of this report is expected to be submitted by February 6, 2024. The Prosecution and Defense must submit their Sentencing Memoranda by February 13, 2024, with any replies due by February 16, 2024. The sentencing itself is scheduled to take place at 2:00 PM on February 20, 2024, in Courtroom 10 before Judge Amit P. Mehta.
According to a Justice Department press release from April 2021, Schaffer has admitted to being a “founding lifetime member” of the right-wing Oath Keepers extremist group. In January 2022, Judge Mehta approved the U.S. government’s request to share sealed materials from Schaffer’s case with the three prominent Oath Keepers cases related to the U.S. Capitol riot. In May of a prior year, Judge Mehta handed down an 18-year prison sentence to Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers, for his involvement in attempts to overturn the 2020 election, which culminated in the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol. As part of the plea agreement reached in April 2021, Jon Schaffer committed to cooperating with the government’s inquiries.
