Thread by @MacFarlaneNews

Prosecutors recommend 18 months in prison for this Jan 6 defendant

Probation office recommends 15 months in prison

Judge has already dismissed another request from defendant to shift "downward" the possible sentence

Standby for updates... sentencing soon

https://twitter.com/MacFarlaneNews/status/1417120791804645381

Prosecutors are agreeing to waive financial fines against Hodgkins, citing his financial situation

Feds say one of the "disturbing" factors in Hodgkins case is that he sought to disrupt the functioning of government

Prosecutor also says "his presence at well of Senate holding his big flag, his backpack, his rope.... amount to intimidation"

Prosecutor: "For two hours there was an attack on the People's house... and the people in the house"

Prosecutor says Hodgkins presence played role in evacuations, the shutdown of the Electoral vote count... "There was a very meaningful impact to democracy"

Prosecutor: "The staff members who couldn't evacuate the building and left cowering in their offices barricaded... were terrified. As were law enforcement officers"

"Many will bear emotional scars forever"

"Those injuries are part & parcel of Mr. Hodgkins conduct..."

Prosecutor: "Hodgkins was a part of that mob... he illegally entered in Capitol with other rioters.... he spent 30 minutes in the building.. in the well of the Senate...."

She also cites Hodgkins proximity to Mike Pence's desk.... minutes after Pence evacuated

Feds; Hodgkins was prepared for "violence".. and made himself part of the action

Prosecutor: Hodgkins made 1.7 mile walk from White House Ellipse to Capitol. He had 1.7 miles to change his mind and think better of it..... and he did not

Feds are crediting Hodgkins with pleading guilty early in his case

Prosecutors say Paul Hodgkins was part of an act of domestic terror"

Bookmark this moment for reference in future cases!

Prosecutors to judge: "Send a loud and clear message to other would-be rioters... if and when they're caught they will be held accountable"

Hodgkins “I regret my actions in Washington DC on January 6”… “May have made others feel emboldened”

Hodgkins calls Trump a President that he loved

!!! During sentencing in Jan 6 case, Paul Hodgkins just said, “This was a foolish decision on my part… I do not make any excuse… or blame any politician”…. “I acknowledge that Joseph R Biden Jr is President of the United States”

Hodgkins told judge, “I said to the nearest policeman that I’m sorry for the trouble”

Hodgkins says Jan 6 is “Something I feel shame for”

Hodgkins tells judge he's concerned about losing his job... his house.... and worries about being unable to care for his two cats

Hodgkins says he'd rather pay his penalty while remaining a taxpaying citizen, rather than a "drain"

Making his push for leniency

Defense lawyer says it's "offensive and gaslighting" to call January 6th an act of "domestic terrorism"

"It was a protest that became a riot"

Defense lawyer "No one's been charged with terrorism"

Defense lawyer is drawing parallels between US Capitol Insurrection and Minneapolis in 2020

Not sure if that's advisable, because judge just cut him off

Judge: "There were people in the hallway saying 'Where's Nancy?" "The chambers of the Congress were emptied..." "this was not an exercise of the 1st Amendment"

Judge cut off defense lawyer comparisons between Jan 6 and Minneapolis to say that

Judge's interruption is potentially a message to other defendants and defense lawyers

If defense lawyer was testing the compare-it-to-Minneapolis argument..... it didn't go well

Defense lawyer is now lamenting the ankle monitor Hodgkins is wearing. “Are we gonna punish ourselves by making this fine taxpayer… homeless?”

It’s clear Hodgkins and his defense lawyer are angling for sentence of zero prison time. That’d be…… a noteworthy sentence for sure

Now defense lawyer is again making the curious analogy between the need for leniency in this Jan 6 case and leniency showed by Grant to Lee after Civil War

Judge asks defense lawyer, would a sentence of no prison time really “heal the country”?

Now defense lawyer is angling for home confinement .. which he argues is big punishment for a defendant from Florida “where the weather is nice”

And…. Ugh…. Defense lawyer just compared Paul Hodgkins neighborhood in Florida to southeast Washington DC…. Suggesting it’s humble I mean…. Geez

…. And he’s making this argument to a Washington DC judge.

Standby. Judge calls brief recess. Sentencing happening very soon

We are back in session. Hang on tight

Judge to Jan 6 defendant Paul Hodgkins: "While on the Senate floor, you carried a large red flag.. walked among the desks on Senate floor and took selfies"

"He actively participated in an event"
"Members of the US Congress were forced to flee...."

Judge says the evacuation of Members of Congress is an extraordinary event... as he tees up his sentence in this Jan 6 case

"Delaying a solemn act"

"Mr Hodgkins did not like what Congress was about to do"

Judge "That is chilling for many reasons"

"Democracy requires cooperation of the governed"

"Damage Mr. Hodgkins caused that day was way beyond a several hour delay" in vote count

Judge is referencing transition of Presidency in era Thomas Jefferson to underscore the significance of the electoral college count...

"The attack on the Capitol on Jan 6.... tarnished that happy history"

BOOM. Judge says Jan 6 makes it more difficult for our children and grandchildren to maintain democracy

Says things are now harder than they were seven months ago

And he's tying Hodgkins to this.... standby

Judge: Jan 6 "left a stain on this country for years to come"

Judge: "The fact that Mr. Hodgkins did not engage in incendiary behavior on social media"... weighs in his favor

Judge: The goggles Hodgkins brought shows he was ready for conflict. "He came that day to defend his position..d engage in whatever has to be done"

"He observed the mayhem... It was obvious as her approached the Capitol. he was participating in ongoing attack"

Judge: I believe that what happened was an "aberration" in Paul Hodgkins life. "But I have to deter others from ever, ever, ever (engaging) again in what happened" on Jan 6"

Judge credit Hodgkins with being among first to plead guilty in Jan 6 case and participating in community service ahead of today's sentencing hearing

Eight months in prison. Significantly less than recommended by federal prosecutors

Does this send some type of message to the other 500+ defendants?