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CHICAGO (AP) — A Florida antheral who breached the U.S. Senate enclosure carrying a Trump run emblem is scheduled to go the archetypal Jan. 6 rioter sentenced for a felony, successful a proceeding that volition assistance acceptable a benchmark for punishment successful akin cases.
Prosecutors privation Paul Allard Hodgkins to service 18 months down bars, saying successful a caller filing that he, “like each rioter, contributed to the corporate menace to democracy” by forcing lawmakers to temporarily wantonness their certification of Joe Biden’s predetermination triumph and to scramble for structure from incoming mobs.
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Video footage shows Hodgkins, 38, wearing a Trump 2020 T-shirt, the emblem flung implicit his enarthrosis and oculus goggles astir his cervix wrong the Senate.
He took a selfie with a self-described shaman successful a horned helmet and different rioters connected the dais down him.
His sentencing Monday successful Washington could acceptable the barroom for punishments of hundreds of different defendants arsenic they determine whether to judge plea deals oregon spell to trial. Hodgkins and others are accused of superior crimes but were not indicted, arsenic different were, for roles successful larger conspiracies.
A lawyer for Hodgkins, who pleaded blameworthy past period to 1 number of obstructing an authoritative proceeding, asked U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss not to enforce a situation sentence, saying the shame that volition connect to Hodgkins for the remainder of his beingness should beryllium factored successful arsenic punishment.
“Whatever punishment this tribunal whitethorn supply volition airy successful examination to the scarlet missive Mr. Hodgkins volition deterioration for the remainder of his life,” Patrick N. Leduc wrote successful a caller filing, citing a Nathaniel Hawthorne caller successful which a pistillate accused of adultery is forced to deterioration a missive “A.”
The filing argues that Hodgkins’ actions weren’t markedly antithetic from those of Anna Morgan Lloyd — different than Hodgkins stepping onto the Senate floor. The 49-year-old from Indiana was the archetypal of astir 500 arrested to beryllium sentenced. She pleaded blameworthy to misdemeanor disorderly behaviour and past period was sentenced to 3 years of probation.
Hodgkins was ne'er accused of assaulting anyone oregon damaging property. And prosecutors said helium deserves immoderate leniency for taking work astir instantly and pleading blameworthy to the obstruction charge, which carries a maximum 20-years situation sentence.
But they besides noted however helium boarded a autobus successful his hometown of Tampa bound for a Jan. 6 Trump rally carrying rope, protective goggles and latex gloves successful a backpack — saying that demonstrated helium came to Washington prepared for violence.
On the day, helium walked done grounds already littered with smashed constabulary barriers and breached windows, evening passing constabulary officers and others injured arsenic the assemblage surged toward the Capitol, prosecutors said.
“Time and clip again, alternatively than crook astir and retreat, Hodgkins pressed forward,” the authorities filing said.
Leduc described his lawsuit arsenic an different law-abiding American who, contempt surviving successful a poorer portion of Tampa, regularly volunteered astatine a nutrient bank.
He noted that Hodgkins had been an Eagle Scout.
His actions connected Jan. 6 “is the communicative of a antheral who for conscionable 1 hr connected 1 time mislaid his bearings … who made a fateful determination to travel the crowd,” the lawyer said.
Leduc’s 33-page presentencing filing devotes respective pages to the Civil War, highlighting Abraham Lincoln’s calls for reconciliation weeks earlier his assassination.
“The tribunal has a accidental to emulate Lincoln,” helium wrote.
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