Oath Keeper enters first guilty plea in Capitol attack inquiry, agrees to help government

Indiana resident Jon Schaffer, right, is shown inside the U.S. Capitol Building during the Jan. 6, 2021, rioting, according to the FBI. He pleaded guilty to two felonies Friday and agreed to help the government's case. (Photo: FBI)

An Indiana man who wore an Oath Keepers Lifetime Member hat in the halls of Congress on Jan. 6 has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors and will cooperate in the Department of Justice’s ongoing investigation. 

Jon Ryan Schaffer, a heavy metal guitarist from Indiana, entered guilty pleas in federal court on Friday.

Prosecutors say Schaffer breached the Capitol while wearing a tactical vest and carrying bear spray. Schaffer was originally arrested in January on six different federal charges related to his actions on Jan. 6. 

This is the first guilty plea in the DOJ’s investigation into the Jan. 6. siege of the U.S. Capitol. 

Schaffer is a member of the militia group known as the Oath Keepers. Separate from Schaffer’s case, the DOJ has charged members of the Oath Keepers with conspiracy, alleging they planned together ahead of the attack. 

A federal judge also authorized Schaffer’s release from jail. He will be permitted to travel within the lower 48 states and will not be allowed to carry any firearms, including ones he may already legally own. 

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