As part of his guilty plea, Schaffer will be cooperating with the government from now on, which should give them even more information on the planning behind the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Schaffer is also a guitarist for the heavy metal band, Iced Earth. A band more or less defunct since his arrest.
Source; NBC News
An Indiana man accused of being a longtime member of the Oath Keepers pleaded guilty Friday to illegally entering the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, an important milestone in the government's effort to understand the forces behind the siege.
It was the first guilty plea secured by the federal government in connection with the riot, which occurred 100 days ago.
"On this 100th day since the horrific January 6 assault on the United States Capitol, Oath Keepers member Jon Schaffer has pleaded guilty to multiple felonies, including for breaching the Capitol while wearing a tactical vest and armed with bear spray, with the intent to interfere with Congress's certification of the electoral college results," acting Deputy Attorney General John Carlin said.
Schaffer's plea came on two of the six counts filed against him in January, which included an allegation that he was among rioters who assaulted Capitol Police officers with bear spray. His plea did not include that original charge.
So what did he plead guilty to, and what kind of penalty can he expect. via Washington Post
Friday’s filing shows Schaffer has agreed to plead guilty to only two charges, but both are felony offenses carrying heavy penalties that federal prosecutors are relying on heavily in the wider probe.
One, obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress, is punishable by up to 20 years in prison; the other, trespassing on restricted grounds of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon, carries up to a 10 year prison term.
Those two charges have been brought against roughly one-fourth of individuals charged to date — about 100 of more than 410 defendants — including those accused of the most serious offenses in the riot. Authorities have said the attack on the Capitol led to five deaths, assaults against nearly 140 police and the evacuation of Congress.
BREAKING: Jon Schaffer, the heavy metal guitarist who stormed the Capitol while armed with bear spray, told a judge he plans to plead guilty today.
So today, 100 days after the insurrection, we should get the first public guilty plea / plea deal.https://t.co/DZ4qCgpRvA— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) April 16, 2021
More background on the case from Marcy Wheeler.
Here's a post about Jon Schaffer, who is pleading guilty to a 2-count information imminently.https://t.co/LrsyLcQDLW
— emptywheel (@emptywheel) April 16, 2021
