Florida man who carried a Trump flag through the Senate during the Capitol riot first to be sentenced for a felony
The first felony sentencing for Capitol rioter Paul Hodgkins, 38, is set for Monday morning.
He pleaded guilty in June to obstructing an official proceeding when he breached the Capitol.
Videos and photographs from the riot show him carrying a Trump flag inside the Senate chamber.
A Florida man is expected Monday to get the first felony sentence stemming from the Capitol riot.
Paul Allard Hodgkins pleaded guilty last month to one count of obstructing an official proceeding for breaching the Senate on January 6, the AP reported. Prosecutors hope Hodgkins will serve 18 months in prison even though the maximum sentence is 20 years and a fine of $250,000.
Various footage from January 6 shows Hodgkins inside the Capitol and Senate building with a large Donald Trump flag. He also brought along a backpack containing eye goggles, white latex gloves, and rope, according to the government's sentencing memorandum.
While prosecutors note that Hodgkins didn't personally destroy property or attack officers, they said he "made a series of choices along the way, culminating in his personal role in obstructing the vote count-related conduct in the Senate chamber and the felony criminal charge of which he was convicted."
Assistant US Attorney Mona Sedky said on Monday that while he didn't personally damage the building, he was with the mob that did.
"January 6 was an act of domestic terrorism," Sedky said, and noted that while Hodgkins himself did not engage in domestic terrorism himself, "he was part of the parcel enacting domestic terrorism going on around him."
Rioters ultimately caused around $1.4 million in property damages to the US Capitol, according to the sentencing memorandum. That likely includes the costs of broken windows, doors, gates, and computers.
Hodgkins' attorneys told prosecutors that he wanted to be one of the first people to plead guilty in the hopes of receiving lighter sentencing. The attempt may be working, as prosecutors have already agreed to waive the financial fines against him.
More than 575 people have been arrested in relation to the attempted insurrection, and 15 have pleaded guilty so far.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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