A man who pleaded guilty to breaching the Senate chamber during the US Capitol insurrection was sentenced Monday to eight months in prison in a closely watched case that could influence how hundreds of other rioters charged with the same felony are punished.
A man who pleaded guilty to breaching the Senate chamber during the US Capitol insurrection was sentenced Monday to eight months in prison in a closely watched case that could influence how hundreds of other rioters charged with the same felony are punished. Paul Hodgkins, a 38-year-old Floridian, is now the first Capitol rioter charged with a felony to be sentenced. He pleaded guilty last month to obstructing congressional proceedings -- specifically, the counting of the electoral votes, which he helped delay by storming the Senate chamber on January 6. He spent about 15 minutes inside, wearing a Donald Trump shirt and carrying a Trump flag. The sentence is less than the 1.5-year sentence that the Justice Department asked for. Hodgkins was seeking probation. | | | | | | | |