Heavy metal guitarist pleads guilty to Capitol attack

Pleads guilty to assault on US Capitol 0:39

(CNN) -

A heavy metal guitarist with ties to the Oath Keepers is the first Capitol agitator to plead guilty to two crimes related to the January 6 insurrection.

• Report reveals maps of Capitol underground tunnels were posted online before the January 6 insurrection

Jon Ryan Schaffer pleaded guilty to obstructing official procedure and entering a building with a dangerous weapon.

The man admitted that he had brought bear spray inside the Capitol complex on the day of the formal certification of the Electoral College votes.

One hundred days after the attack on Capitol Hill, Schaffer is the first pro-Trump agitator to plead guilty and admit his crimes.

In his plea deal, Schaffer is described as a "founding life member" of the Oath Keepers.

Despite the fact that his lawyers previously affirmed in court that he did not know much about the paramilitary group.

Unreleased videos of Capitol agitators present 5:36

What does the guilty plea linked to the attack on the Capitol imply?

Furthermore, as part of the agreement, Schaffer also "admits that his belief that the Electoral College results were fraudulent is not a legal justification" for attacking the Capitol complex.

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Prosecutors and attorneys for Schaffer agreed to recommend that he receive a sentence of between 3.5 and 4.5 years in prison for the crimes linked to the attack on the Capitol.

The time would be defined based on how fruitful your cooperation with the Government is.

Ultimately, the sentencing decision will be made by federal judge Amit Mehta, who is overseeing the case.

Many of those accused of the insurrection on Capitol Hill have expressed an interest in pleading guilty and trying to get on with their lives.

However, those plea deals, and potential cooperative deals, have slowed as prosecutors awaited approval from senior Justice Department officials.

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Pro-Trump protesters pushed through barriers along the perimeter of the Capitol building, clashed with police, the full riot gear, and some called the agents "traitors" for doing their jobs.

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The protesters pushed the metal fences and the police.

They also used the fences to push the protesters back.

(Credit: SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

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Police officers were seen leaning over metal fences to beat people trying to cross them.

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The session to count and certify Electoral College votes for president and vice president was suspended.

This photo shows Senators Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConell before the suspension.

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A Capitol Police officer confronts a horde of pro-Trump protesters as they entered the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The protesters broke through security barriers and entered Congress debating the certification of electoral votes.

(Credit: SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

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An agitator enters the Senate compound and sits on the main podium.

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Security agents point their weapons at a door that was vandalized in the House of Representatives, during the session to certify the electoral votes of President Joe Biden.

(Credit: Drew Angerer / Getty Images)

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A crowd of Trump supporters gather outside the Capitol, as seen from inside the building, on the afternoon of January 6, 2021 in Washington.

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This was the situation in the Capitol on January 6 in the afternoon, when the protesters stormed the premises of Congress and confronted the police.

There was tear gas.

(Credit: SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

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A Capitol police officer wears a gas mask during armed protesters' rampage into Congress.

(Credit: SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

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A protester is seen hanging from the balcony of the Senate Chamber amid riots at the Capitol.

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Capitol police officers detained several protesters outside the House of Representatives after they stormed a joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021 in Washington protesting Biden's victory.

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Some people in Congress use plastic bags as armed protesters stormed the joint session of Congress to ratify Biden's victory as president.

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A man sat on the main Senate podium, while the Capitol was closed and police tried to contain the escalation of protests.

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Outside the Capitol, pro-Trump protesters continued their protest to prevent the victory of President-elect Joe Biden from being certified.

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Police throw water at protesters who clashed to try to enter the Capitol in Washington.

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Protesters enter the United States Capitol building on January 6, 2021 in Washington.

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Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest in the Capitol Rotunda on January 6, 2021. (Credit: SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

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Demonstrators protest outside the US Capitol in Washington, after rioters stormed the Congress building.

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Trump supporters clash with police and security forces outside the Capitol in Washington on January 6, 2021. (Credit: JOSEPH PREZIOSO / AFP via Getty Images)

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Pro-Trump protesters broke through security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated Electoral College certification.

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Crowds gather outside the United States Capitol on January 6 amid clashes with police.

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A Capitol police officer looks out of a broken window as protesters gather at the building on January 6, 2021 in Washington.

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Pro-Trump protesters gather outside the US Capitol building.

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The image shows the deployment of tear gas as pro-Trump protesters enter the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. (Credit: Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images)

Schaffer's guilty plea was made official during a hearing Friday in Washington City District Court.

100 days of the attack on Capitiolio

As part of his plea deal, Schaffer agreed to cooperate with investigators and possibly testify in related criminal cases, according to court proceedings.

In return, the Justice Department could later urge the judge to lenient during sentencing.

Recent court documents revealed that Schaffer met with federal investigators for several "informational interviews" last month.

• US Capitol: Key Facts You Should Know

Investigators likely asked for information on Oath Keepers, the far-right paramilitary group with a dozen members facing conspiracy charges.

Inside the Capitol, Schaffer wore an "Oath Keepers Life Member" hat.

However, his defense attorneys have distanced him from the group.

They said that he bought the hat from a fan and that he knows nothing about the organization.

Some of the laws that are being used against Capitol agitators have never been used as before, to target particular individuals in a mob on federal grounds.

Some defendants are challenging the Justice Department's interpretation of these laws.

Police were crushed by mob on Capitol Hill 3:06

Schaffer was initially charged with six federal crimes.

He was ordered to remain in jail while the case progressed because a coroner was alarmed about his possible links to Oath Keepers extremists and the fact that he had brought bear spray to Capitol Hill.

Some members of his Indiana-based gang reportedly resigned in protest of their role in the attack on the Capitol.

The Department of Justice announced the guilty plea 100 days after the attack on the Capitol.

• FBI Director Disproves Conspiracy Theory That The Agitators In The Capitol Storming Were "False Trump Followers"

"The FBI has made an average of more than four arrests per day, seven days a week since January 6," Acting Assistant Attorney General John Carlin said Friday in a statement.

"I congratulate the hundreds of special agents, prosecutors and support personnel who have worked tirelessly over the past 100 days to bring criminals to justice," he added.

Assault on the Capitol