A Florida man who was let into the US Capitol on January 6th was sentenced to eight months in prison - the first such sentence for a felony case in the Capitol 'riot.'
The man, Paul Allard Hodgkins, was not charged with property destruction or assault - yet "contributed to the collective threat to democracy," according to prosecutors, who sought 18 months.
Hodgkins apologized and said he was ashamed of his actions, describing how he was caught up in the euphoria as he followed a crowd of hundreds into the Capitol.
"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," he told the judge, adding "This was a foolish decision on my part," according to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Antifa and BLM rioters, looters and vandals have had their charges dropped across the country.
In pronouncing the sentence, Judge Randolph Moss said that Hodgkins had played a role, if not as significant as others, in one of the worst episodes in American history. Still he chose to give Hodgkins a year less in prison.
“That was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a protest,” Moss said. “It was … an assault on democracy.” He added: “It left a stain that will remain on us … on the country for years to come.”
The sentencing could set the bar for punishments of hundreds of other defendants as they decide whether to accept plea deals or go to trial. Hodgkins and others are accused of serious crimes but were not indicted, as some others were, for roles in larger conspiracies.
Under an agreement with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty last month to one count of obstructing an official proceeding, which carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop lesser charges, including entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct. -AP
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/florida-capitol-rioter-sentenced-8-months-not-accused-assaulting-anyone-or-damaging
