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Jon Schaffer of the Florida metal band Iced Earth has been sentenced to three years of probation for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol. Schaffer, who is also a lifetime member of the far-right anti-government militia Oath Keepers, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of obstruction of an official proceeding and entering and remaining in a restricted building with a dangerous weapon in April 2021.
As WUSA9 reports, prosecutors and Schaffer’s attorney said in a joint statement earlier this month that they believed the guitarist should still be sentenced on both counts, despite the Supreme Court’s decision narrowing the scope of the obstruction statute. (Schaffer also technically did not march with the Oath Keepers on Jan. 6 and was not part of the group’s encrypted chats.)
On Jan. 17, 2021, Schaffer turned himself in to the FBI. He was the first Jan. 6 defendant to plead guilty.
In addition to three years’ probation, US District Judge Amit P. Mehta, who also presided over the Oath Keepers seditious conspiracy trials, ordered Schaffer to pay $1,000 in restitution. “I certainly thought that your example would cause others to come forward and admit what they’d done and cooperate,” Mehta said. “That didn’t really happen.”
In a brief statement on Friday, Schaffer apologized for the “pain and embarrassment” his actions caused and added that he hoped his fans could eventually forgive him. “I’m sorry I let you down and I will work hard to rebuild your trust.”