WASHINGTON, DC (CelebrityAccess) – According to a report by The Republic, Iced Earth ex-guitarist, songwriter, and insurrectionist Jon Schaffer is MIA. Process servers have been attempting to physically notify Schaffer that the District of Columbia (DC) was suing him in federal court over his participation in the January 6 storming of the US Capital building.
Schaffer was arrested by the FBI shortly after the insurrection and charged with six crimes, including attacking police officers with bear spray. He pled guilty to 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). He was later said to be cooperating with authorities. He was allowed to walk free after he agreed to a guilty plea deal but was required to “notify US Pretrial/Probation Office of any travel outside the State of Indiana.”
The Attorney General then sued him for DC – Karl Racine as part of legal action targeting members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. Schaffer is rumored to be a member of the latter group. Racine’s lawsuit seeks to recover “extraordinary damages and costs” that the US Capital suffered due to the insurrection.
Most of the time, notifying a defendant that legal action is being taken against them is a simple process. However, process servers have failed to find him at least 25 times across seven addresses in three states – proving this time to be quite difficult. Nearly 40 other defendants named in the lawsuit had been served as of mid-August, and Schaffer is one of just two defendants who had managed to evade private investigators who had been on his trail for months.
The Republic reports the search intensified earlier this year, and DC approached federal law enforcement officials for “any information the Department of Justice is willing to share as to Schaffer’s present location.”
It is unknown if federal law enforcement officials know Schaffer’s whereabouts if they believe he has violated the terms of his plea agreement or if they plan to provide any information to DC in its effort to serve him in the civil lawsuit. The next joint status report in the criminal case is due by October 28.
Blabbermouth states that Schaffer was believed to have been hiding at one of three residences in Columbus, IN, at a home in Orlando, FL, near his mother, a home in Georgetown, DE, an apartment in Crystal City, FL, or possibly a mobile home in Auburndale, FL. The Republic story states that servers most recently attempted the Auburndale address where a callbox listed one “J. Schaffer” and had two vehicles parked outside with Indiana plates.
“The District now believes that Schaffer is hiding from process servers in a mobile home in Auburndale, Florida,” said court filings from the numerous attempts at the Auburndale address. “Since locating that address, the District has attempted service there at least five times, yet Schaffer refuses to answer the door — thereby preventing effective service absent further relief from the court.”
A nonpartisan organization co-founded by an attorney representing DC n the civil lawsuit referred The Republic to a motion the District filed on August 15, requesting authorization to serve Schaffer through alternative means.
As of press time, no records indicated that the motion had been granted or that Schaffer had been served.
