ICED EARTH guitarist Jon Schaffer is being sued by District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine along with numerous others in an effort to recover the millions of dollars the city spent to defend the U.S. Capitol during the January 6 siege.
CNN says the lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in Washington, DC, accuses 31 members of the extremist groups ‘Proud Boys’ and ‘Oath Keepers’ of “conspiring to terrorize the District” on Jan. 6, calling their actions “a coordinated act of domestic terrorism.” The lawsuit cites the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, a federal law created after the Civil War to protect civil rights and, as Racine noted, “to protect against vigilantes and insurrectionists.”
“I think the damages are substantial,” Racine told The Washington Post. “If it so happens that it bankrupts or puts these individuals and entities in financial peril, so be it.”
You can see the full lawsuit at this location.
The complaint describes Schaffer as “a founding, lifetime member of the Oath Keepers” and says: “Schaffer was criminally charged and indicted for his role in perpetrating the January 6th Attack. In connection with a promise to cooperate with investigators and potentially testify in criminal cases related to the conspiracy to commit the January 6th Attack, Schaffer pleaded guilty to the entire Statement of Offense in the criminal action brought against him, which included two felony offenses: (1) trespass of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon and (2) obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress. The Criminal Complaint filed against Schaffer—as well as Schaffer’s Plea Agreement and the accompanying Statement of Offense describing his conduct—are publicly available documents that are hereby incorporated into the Complaint by reference.”
As part of his April 2021 plea deal, Jon entered into a cooperation agreement with the government.
Although Schaffer was initially charged with six crimes, including engaging in an act of physical violence and targeting police with bear spray, he pleaded guilty to only two charges: obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress; and trespassing on restricted grounds of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
After his guilty plea, Schaffer was released on the following conditions:
* Schaffer must submit to court supervision in the Northem Dlstrict of Indiana.
* Schaffer will surrender his passport and any other international travel documents.
* Must stay outside of D.C. except for court hearings and meetings with attorneys.
* Will be permitted to travel within the continental United States with notice to pretrial services.
* Schaffer cannot possess any firearms or explosive devices, including legally owned firearms. Any firearms must be removed from his home.
As part of the agreement, the Justice Department has offered to sponsor Schaffer for the witness protection program.