Florida man Paul Hodgkins receives 8 months in prison, first Jan. 6 defendant sentenced on a felony charge
A Florida man became the first felon sentenced Monday for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, receiving eight months in prison and being ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution for a portion of the damage to the building.
Hodgkins, 38, of Tampa, faced sentencing guidelines of 15 to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding for interrupting Congress' counting of Electoral College votes. He spent 15 minutes in the Senate chamber, holding a flag for former President Donald Trump and taking pictures.
Hodgkins had asked Moss for no prison time. Hodgkins said he had no plans to enter the Capitol when he traveled to Washington to attend Trump's rally earlier in the day, but that he got swept up in the march along Pennsylvania Avenue. Once inside the Capitol, he said he apologized to police officers for the trouble and he offered medical care to an injured rioter.
“I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I am truly remorseful and regretful for my actions in Washington," Hodgkins told the court. “This was a foolish decision on my part that I take full responsibility for it."
Mona Sedky, an assistant U.S. attorney, had recommended an 18-month sentence to promote respect for the law and to deter a future riot at the Capitol.
Hodgkins is among the first dozen defendants to reach plea bargains with prosecutors, four for felonies and eight for misdemeanors. Two defendants with misdemeanors have been sentenced, one to six months behind bars and one to three years of probation.
At least 535 people were charged in the first six months after the attack, with 165 accused of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, according to the Justice Department. More than 50 people are charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon, or causing serious bodily injury to an officer, the department said.
About 140 police officers were injured during the melee that temporarily halted Congress counting Electoral College votes. The disruption led to charges of obstruction of an official proceeding, which carries a 20-year maximum sentence.
A Florida man became the first felon sentenced Monday for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, receiving eight months in prison and being ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution for a portion of the damage to the building.
Hodgkins, 38, of Tampa, faced sentencing guidelines of 15 to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding for interrupting Congress' counting of Electoral College votes. He spent 15 minutes in the Senate chamber, holding a flag for former President Donald Trump and taking pictures.
Hodgkins had asked Moss for no prison time. Hodgkins said he had no plans to enter the Capitol when he traveled to Washington to attend Trump's rally earlier in the day, but that he got swept up in the march along Pennsylvania Avenue. Once inside the Capitol, he said he apologized to police officers for the trouble and he offered medical care to an injured rioter.
“I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I am truly remorseful and regretful for my actions in Washington," Hodgkins told the court. “This was a foolish decision on my part that I take full responsibility for it."
Mona Sedky, an assistant U.S. attorney, had recommended an 18-month sentence to promote respect for the law and to deter a future riot at the Capitol.
Hodgkins is among the first dozen defendants to reach plea bargains with prosecutors, four for felonies and eight for misdemeanors. Two defendants with misdemeanors have been sentenced, one to six months behind bars and one to three years of probation.
At least 535 people were charged in the first six months after the attack, with 165 accused of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, according to the Justice Department. More than 50 people are charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon, or causing serious bodily injury to an officer, the department said.
About 140 police officers were injured during the melee that temporarily halted Congress counting Electoral College votes. The disruption led to charges of obstruction of an official proceeding, which carries a 20-year maximum sentence.
