Iced Earth's frontman Jon Schaffer may get probation for involvement in Jan 6th

The U.S. government is seeking a three-year supervised probation sentence for Iced Earth leader Jon Schaffer, along with a $2,000 restitution payment and a mandatory $200 special assessment, following his involvement in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

In a sentencing memorandum dated October 14, obtained by BLABBERMOUTH.NET, the government argues that this sentence reflects the seriousness of Schaffer's offense, while also considering the three months he was detained after his arrest, his early acceptance of responsibility, and the substantial assistance he provided to law enforcement under his cooperation plea agreement.

The memorandum further details Schaffer's specific involvement in the events of that day:

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, proffering several times with law enforcement and providing fulsome, credible, and relevant information.

On April 16, 2021, the defendant fully accepted responsibility and pled guilty, pursuant to a cooperation plea agreement, to one count of Obstruction of an Official Proceeding, and one count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon. The defendant was the first person to plead guilty to participating in the January 6 attack, and he agreed to permit the details of his cooperation plea agreement to be made public.