The first Capitol rioter to be convicted of a felony was sentenced to eight months in prison on Monday. The man pleaded guilty to breaching the Senate chambers during the Jan. 6 insurrection last month.
Listen to your favorite News/Talk station now on Audacy.
Paul Hodgkins of Florida became the first rioter convicted and sentenced out of the nearly 550 Capitol rioters being charged for the actions on Jan. 6. Hodgkins pleaded guilty to obstructing congressional proceedings, specifically the counting of the electoral votes, in June.
Hodgkins was seen on Jan. 6 in the Senate chamber wearing a Donald Trump shirt and carrying a Trump flag.
The Justice Department requested that Hodgkins, 38, receive a 1 ½ year prison term at the hearing on Monday, CNN reported. Prosecutors argued that the longer-term would deter future political violence, sending a strong warning to anyone thinking of repeating the events of Jan. 6.
Hodgkins spoke during the hearing giving a 10-minute statement apologizing for his actions and asking the judge to spare him so he wouldn't lose his job or his rental home.
"I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I am truly remorseful and regretful for my actions in Washington, DC, on Jan. 6. ... I say this because of the damage that day's incident caused and the way this country that I love has been hurt," Hodgkins said.
Related
He went on to say, "I came to D.C. with the intention of supporting a president I love at his event and participating in a march on Pennsylvania Avenue. The storming of the U.S. Capitol building was not something I had any idea would happen."
Hodgkins acknowledged that Joe Biden was his president; he also shared that he has started to go to church, stopped drinking alcohol, and received his COVID-19 vaccine.
After Hodgkins spoke, the sentencing was given.
The decision to hand out a lower sentence came from District Judge Randolph Moss, who said Hodgkins contributed to a grave offense against democracy but deserved some leniency because he pleaded guilty "exceptionally early."
Related
Moss also said that Hodgkins gave a sincere apology and was not involved in the violence outside or inside the Capitol. Because of this, Moss struggled to determine how long he should sentence Hodgkins.
"The damage that they caused that day is way beyond the delays that day. It is a damage that will persist in this country for decades," Moss said.
Moss mentioned the struggle U.S. diplomats will now face when promoting democracy abroad. He said that the lawmakers, staffers, and police who ran for their lives during the assault "will be traumatized for the rest of their lives."
Moss made a point of clarifying whom Hodgkins was supporting while in the Capitol, and he made it clear it was not America.
"Hodgkins was staking a claim on the floor of the United States Senate, not with the American flag but with a flag declaring his loyalty to a single individual over the entire nation," Moss said.
Related
While Moss did not give the sentence prosecutors were asking for, he did not shy away from calling out Hodgkins' actions.
"Hodgkins did some very bad things that day and caused some real damage to this country, but I don't consider him to be a threat or see him as an evil person," Moss said. "This is a very bad episode in his life and a very bad episode in this country ... some sentences will be far higher, and some will be far lower. This is what I believe is a fair sentence."
Another reason prosecutors asked for higher sentencing was for the other 550 rioters who have been charged. Moss's decision will set a benchmark for the other 230 rioters charged with the same obstruction-of-Congress crime.
Related
Mona Sedky, a prosecutor in the case, said 1 ½ years would "send a loud and clear message to other would-be rioters."
Along with his eight-month sentence, Hodgkins was ordered to pay $2,000 to repair damage to the Capitol.
The FBI has continued to ask for the support of the public in identifying those present through photos and videos retrieved from social media.
When it comes to the rest of those charged, almost 20 people have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. While some are indicating they want to go to trial, which could be dragged into 2022.