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?
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RIGHT NOW: Prosecutors are arguing to hold Jan 6 defendant Rob Morss in jail. Morss is accused of having military gear & being part of multiple fronts of assault vs police
Feds say Morss tried to "rob" baton and shield from officer's hands, engaged in violence for 2+ hours
Feds: Morss used stolen riot shield against the officers, told someone to block a camera, joined crowd as it did "heave-ho" attack against line of officers, went into Capitol thru broken window
Feds: He appears to put his military training to use that day. Morss was a leader
Morss has argued that he got "caught up in the frenzy" that day
But prosecutors say Morss packed military gear, including tourniquet.. and was "directing" others in mob
Another domestic abuse allegation surfaces in Jan 6 case
Matt Bledsoe asks court to remove his GPS ankle tether
Feds respond that police were called on Bledsoe in 2014 for punching pregnant woman & repeatedly kneeing her stomach (He wasn't convicted)
& Another call in 2020
Oh... and Bledsoe is asking the court to remove his tether device because he:
1) Owns a moving company 2) Is working a lot 3) Wants to wear shorts 4) Can't wear shorts, because of ankle tether 5) Says it's "hard" to conceal ankle tether
This is at least the second Jan 6 defendant who was accused of assaulting a pregnant woman prior to the Insurrection