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A Florida man who was charged with a felony after breaching the Senate chamber in the United States Capitol during a riot on Jan. 6 was sentenced Monday to eight months in jail.
Paul Allard Hodgkins, 38, was the first person charged with a felony to be sentenced.
During a court appearance, Hodgkins apologized to the court, saying he was ashamed of his actions and merely got caught up in the moment as a mob swarmed into the Capitol to protest the certification of Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
“If I had any idea that the protest … would escalate (the way) it did … I would never have ventured farther than the sidewalk of Pennsylvania Avenue,” Hodgkins told the judge, The Associated Press reported. “This was a foolish decision on my part.”
Under an agreement with prosecutors, Hodgkins pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing an official proceeding, a felony that carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence. Prosecutors argued for an 18-month sentence, saying in one court filing that Hodgkins, “like each rioter, contributed to the collective threat to democracy” by forcing lawmakers to abort the certification of the newly elected president.
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Said the AP:
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Sedky said that, while Hodgkins didn’t engage in violence himself, he walked among many who did — in what she called “the ransacking of the People’s House.” And as he walked by smashed police barriers, he could see the smoke of tear gas and the chaos ahead of him.
“What does he do?” she asked the court. “He walks toward it. He doesn’t walk away.”
She added that Hodgkins was in the midst of a mob that forced lawmakers to seek shelter and some congressional staffers to hide in fear, locked in officers as hundreds swept through the building. Those in fear for their lives that day will, she said, “bear emotional scars for many years — if not forever.”
Hodgkins was not accused of assaulting officers or damaging property, and prosecutors said he took responsibility for his actions by pleading guilty to the obstruction charge. But prosecutors also said when he boarded a bus heading to Washington, D.C., he was carrying a rope, protective goggles and latex gloves in a backpack, which they said meant he was prepared for violence.
But his lawyer urged the judge to go easy on Hodgkins, saying his actions will haunt him for the rest of his life.
Hodgkins’ actions on Jan. 6 “is the story of a man who for just one hour on one day lost his bearings … who made a fateful decision to follow the crowd,” said lawyer Patrick N. Leduc, who added that is a law-abiding citizen who routinely volunteered at a food bank.
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CHITownRepublican
6 hours ago
I don't know if this is legally feasible, but at some level we need DA or Prosecutor laws to rein in some of their power. The DAs in the cities over charge police constantly and these prosecutors only charge when the crime is committed by a conservative. People think the biggest problem with crime is the demonization of police (it's still a problem), but actually it's the DAs who drop the charges.
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23
2
BlehNo
CHITownRepublican
6 hours ago
Yes, political enforcement of the law should not be allowed.
Reply
12
1 reply
dr20592641
CHITownRepublican
2 hours ago
In other words we need to live on planet Earth instead of mindless slogans and I agree with that. It is most definitely feasible to control a District Attorney's charging power via laws, those laws are the basis of the District Attorneys office to bring charges period and yes changing those laws regarding the DA options is feasible. On a federal level the chance of anything being done is 0% because the Dems control the presidency for at least 4 years, and they control both houses of congress anyway.
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Neon Tygers
6 hours ago
How many times have Leftist obstructed a official proceeding. This year or last or ever since I can remember. They are making a political example out of these people, that is all. That if you a have certain political ideology your discourse is not welcome in the public sphere. This is to similar to the gulag archipelago, this is a slippery slope. Soon we all will be charged with "counter revolutionary thought" sooner than later.
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24
CANCEL-CNN
5 hours ago
You have to be kidding me. 8 months in jail for ‘obstructing official proceedings’? Every day I thing the outrageous behavior of the federal government can’t get worse and every day it does.
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10
1 reply
BarryMcCoccener
3 hours ago
Does he get credit for time served, since these guys were indefinitely detained for trespassing? Does that mean he's out in early September?
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10
Secession - ver 2.0
5 hours ago
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Sedky said that, while Hodgkins didn’t engage in violence himself, he walked among many who did...
All of the news media refer to this as a "mostly peaceful protest." And refer to a vast majority of individuals as "mostly peaceful." However, they were not prosecuted. And media did not blame the peaceful among the non-peaceful.Reply
9
Rogen80
Secession - ver 2.0
5 hours ago
This is different! Politicians were afraid, with emotional scars that will never heal! Who cares about a few peasant lives and businesses being destroyed?
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5
1 reply
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