Sentencing proposal for Iced Earth’s Jon Schaffer has been released by U.S. Government
The U.S. government has recommended a sentence of three years of supervised probation for Iced Earth founder Jon Schaffer for his involvement in the January 6, 2021, riot on the Capitol building in Washington, DC. According to a sentencing memorandum released on Monday (14th) and obtained by Blabbermouth, Schaffer would also be required to pay $2,000 in restitution and a mandatory $200 special assessment. This recommendation considers Schaffer’s three-month detention after his arrest, early acceptance of responsibility, and significant cooperation with law enforcement.
“For the reasons set forth herein, the government requests that this Court sentence Jon Schaffer to three years of supervised probation, as well as an order that the defendant pay $2,000 in restitution and the mandatory $200 special assessment. Such a sentence would be sufficient to reflect the seriousness of this offense while also accounting for the three months defendant was detained following his arrest, the defendant’s early acceptance of responsibility, and the substantial assistance he has provided to law enforcement pursuant to his cooperation plea agreement.”
Schaffer was among the first six people to breach the Capitol, wearing tactical gear and an “Oath Keepers Lifetime Member” hat while carrying bear spray. Although he was connected to the Oath Keepers, Schaffer did not participate in the group’s planning or coordination of the attack, nor was he involved in any encrypted communications about the event. He was inside the Capitol for less than ten minutes and did not harm any officers or cause property damage.
Due to his cooperation with authorities, the government opted for a more lenient sentence. Schaffer’s sentencing has been delayed multiple times, with the final hearing scheduled for October 25, 2024.
“The defendant was one of the first six people to breach the Capitol through the doors on the northwest side of the building near the Senate Parliamentarian’s office. Schaffer wore a tactical vest and a hat that read, “Oath Keepers Lifetime Member,” and he was carrying a can of bear spray. The menacing conduct of Schaffer and the others at the front of the line forced officers to retreat and allowed the mob to start pouring into the Capitol through this entrance. The defendant’s participation in the attack on the Capitol was not random; it was the culmination of weeks, if not months of increasingly violent calls by Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, the leader of the Oath Keepers, to oppose the lawful transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joseph Biden.
Schaffer was privy to some of these communications, as an Oath Keepers member, and he marched with the Oath Keepers during an event in D.C. in November 2020 to oppose the results of the election. At the same time, Schaffer did not participate in the Oath Keepers’ planning and coordination for the attack on the Capitol (he was not part of any of the group’s encrypted chats for the January 6 operation), and he did not enter the Capitol with them on January 6. For this reason, Schaffer was not charged with participating in a conspiracy with other Oath Keepers. Furthermore, Schaffer was inside the Capitol for less than ten minutes and did not directly harm or seek to harm any officers or property during this offense. Schaffer also has been cooperative with law enforcement since he turned himself in eleven days after the attack…”
Following the riot, the remaining members of Iced Earth resigned, leaving Schaffer as the sole member of the band. Century Media Records dropped Schaffer’s projects, Iced Earth and Demons & Wizards, not too long after the Capitol riot.
