WASHINGTON, DC -- A Florida man becomes the first to be sentenced for a felony conviction in the January 6th Capitol riot.
A judge sentenced 38-year-old Paul Allard Hodgkins to eight months in prison and 24 months probation. He'll also have to pay $2,000 in restitution. Prosecutors wanted 18 months after Hodgkins entered a guilty plea to a charge of disrupting a federal proceeding.
Judge Randolph Moss noted Hodgkins' lack of criminal history, and his "sincere" statement to the court. Hodgkins said he made a "foolish decision" and was "caught up in (emotion)."
Prosecutors say Hodgkins was photographed carrying a Trump flag mounted on a pole around the Senate chamber, and took selfies. He also reportedly had a rope, goggles, and gloves.
Hodgkins' defense attorney, Patrick Leduc, compared his actions to the anti-police violence protests in Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon. He called Hodgkins an "honorable" man and said forgoing a prison sentence would serve to unite the country, comparing it to the situation after the Civil War and the Confederate surrender. Leduc compared Hodgkins' neighborhood in Tampa, Sulphur Springs, to the economically challenged Southeast section of Washington, DC.
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