A heavy metal guitarist who was part of the far-right Oath Keepers extremist group when he joined the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, avoided additional time behind bars when he was sentenced Friday to probation for his role in the attack.
Jon Ryan Schaffer, who founded the band Iced Earth, was the first Jan. 6 defendant to plead guilty to federal charges in 2021. The judge who handed down his sentence and prosecutors credited Schaffer for his decision to quickly accept responsibility and cooperate with Justice Department officials investigating the riot.
