Prosecutors in the case of Tampa, Florida's Paul Allard Hodgkins asked for an 18-month sentence, however, the judge awarded only eight months for participation in a mob that tried to overthrow the United States government.
I thought trying to over throw the government would come with a higher penalty.
A Florida man who was seen carrying a large red "Trump 2020" flag on the floor of the U.S. Senate during the Capitol riot received eight months in prison Monday in the first felony sentence from the Jan. 6 attack.
Paul Allard Hodgkins, 38, of Tampa, was arrested Feb. 16 after the FBI received a tip identifying him among the hundreds of people seen in photos and videos inside the Capitol. He pleaded guilty in June to a single felony count of obstructing an official proceeding, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
"Although you were only one member of a larger mob, you actively participated in a larger event that threatened the Capitol and democracy itself," said U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss of Washington.
The judge feels he is really sending a message.
Imposing a punishment that includes some prison time "will send a loud and clear message to other would-be rioters that if and when they're caught, they will face a serious sentence. So there won't be a next time," she said.
Hodgkins is the third person to be sentenced for being part of the Capitol siege, and his is the longest punishment imposed so far.
