A federal judge has handed down the first felony sentence in the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol, sending Paul Hodgkins of Tampa to prison for 8 months
Paul Hodgkins, 38, was sentenced to prison for eight months for obstructing Congress’ effort to tabulate and certify the electoral vote.
“The symbolism of that act is unmistakable,” the judge said. “In that act, he captured the threat to democracy that we all witnessed that day. … People have to know that assaulting the United States Capitol and impeding the democratic process, even if you don’t come bearing arms, will have consequences.”
Hodgkins’ lawyer, Patrick Leduc, grew emotional as he insisted that it was a mistake to brand as terrorism a protest by Americans that got out of hand. But Moss jumped in to reject the suggestion that the events of Jan. 6 were simply a political protest that got rowdy. After Sedky repeatedly argued that a serious sentence for Hodgkins was needed to deter a politically inspired repeat of Jan. 6, the judge said the government would be able to send that message through the many other defendants facing serious charges of violence.
Hodgkins also addressed the judge for for about 10 minutes, expressing contrition and portraying himself as someone who tried to discourage other Jan. 6 protesters from escalating the situation. “I completely acknowledge and accept that Joseph R. Biden Jr. is rightfully ... the president of the United States,” he declared.
A video recorded by a New Yorker writer also showed Hodgkins wearing white rubber gloves as he rifled through papers at senators' desks in the historic chamber. He initially faced a charge of tampering with government records, but prosecutors dropped that count as the case progressed. Even Hodgkins’ defense acknowledged that his sentence would send a broader message, although his attorney differed somewhat with prosecutors about what the message would be.
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