A man from Florida is the first to be sentenced for his involvement in the Capitol Riot which took place on the 6th of January of this year.
Paul Hodgkins was sentenced in connection to felony charges for taking part in the Capitol Riot that rocked the nation’s capital. Now, he will serve a total jail sentence of 8 months, which is much shorter than what many prosecutors anticipated.
According to local media outlets, the 8-month jail term was replaced with the 18-month term that many had hoped for the 38-year-old citizen that hails from Tampa.
He pleaded guilty during a proceeding that took place last month, which was based upon a count relating to the blocking of an official proceeding that was taking place on the Senate floor.
As Judge Randolph Moss read his decision, he did cite Hodgkins for his rather sincere statements during the court, which took place during the early morning hours on Monday.
This was related to the fact that Hodgkins did not possess any criminal track records and also lacked any form of a leadership role in the mob that literally stormed into the Capitol building.
This makes him the first of many to be sentenced on felony charges for his involvement in the Capitol Riots of January 6th.
Moreover, many critics believe that this decision is most likely to influence hundreds of defendants relating to whether they would face a trial or need to make plea deals.
Reports from local media outlets also went about confirming how Hodgkins’ request was denied when he requested to be classified as a minor who took part in the riot. He also went about noting how he was one of small numbers of individuals who actually made their way towards the Senate floor to disrupt the Senate’s ongoing session.
Later, Hodgkins did acknowledge in the courtroom how he felt that Joe Biden was truly a rightful president of the US while declaring how he had solely come to the capital to witness the president that he loved, which was Donald Trump.