A founding member of the Oath Keepers militia group who was charged in the Capitol riot pleaded guilty Friday — and agreed to help the government go after others involved in the Jan. 6 incident.
The guilty plea by Jon Ryan Schaffer marks the first to be entered publicly by any of the 400-plus people who have been charged so far in the Washington, D.C., riot.
The plea comes 100 days after Schaffer stormed the Capitol building in hopes of preventing Joe Biden from being confirmed as president. Prosecutors are hoping Shaffer’s plea prompts others to work with the government in order to avoid long prison sentences themselves.
Word of the plea emerged last week when Schaffer’s case was briefly unsealed by accident on a federal court database.
OATH KEEPER LEADER CHARGED WITH CONSPIRACY FOR ROLE IN CAPITOL SIEGE
Authorities have said they are also investigating Stewart Rhodes, the founder of Oath Keepers. Rhodes was at the Capitol during the riot, but he was not caught on camera entering the building.
Peter Skinner, a former federal prosecutor, called Friday’s development “huge” and told the Washington Post that Schaffer’s cooperation deal is “what the government needs to investigate and possibly prosecute the leaders of the organization. Clearly, they’re trying to send a strong signal to other Oath Keepers and leaders that there’s somebody in the organization that is going to be telling them everything they know about the organization.”
Schaffer is a 53-year-old guitarist and songwriter for Iced Earth, a heavy metal band.
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He appeared Friday morning before U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta. He will remain free and be allowed to travel while he awaits sentencing.
