First Capitol rioter gets an 8-month jail sentence

WASHINGTON: A man who breached the US Senate chamber during the Jan 6 Capitol riots was jailed for eight months on Monday, in the closely-watched first sentencing hearing for someone convicted of a felony over the attack.

Paul Hodgkins, 38, illegally entered the Capitol — the citadel of US democracy in Washington — with eye goggles, rope and latex gloves as members of Congress gathered for a vote certifying the victory of president-elect Joe Biden, court documents said.

Hodgkins, who was identified in photographs brandishing a Trump campaign flag in the Senate, had admitted obstructing congressional proceedings.

The sentence is 10 months shorter than the Justice Department requested. Prosecutors acknowledged, however, that Hodgkins “did not personally engage in or espouse violence or property destruction”.

“He accepted responsibility early and in a fulsome manner,” court documents read.

Hundreds of supporters of thenpresident Donald Trump, many associated with ultra-nationalist and white supremacist groups, stormed the US legislature on Jan 6 to halt Mr Biden’s confirmation. They had been egged on by Mr Trump, whose fiery speech falsely claiming election fraud was the culmination of months of lies about a contest he lost fairly to Mr Biden.

A comfortable majority of 57 senators — including seven from his own party — voted to convict Mr Trump after he was impeached by the House for inciting the riot, although this fell short of the twothirds majority required under Senate rules to unseat a president.

Hodgkins spent less than half an hour inside the Capitol, court documents added, stopping to take “‘selfie-style’ photographs” inside the chamber. Hodgkins’ case is seen as a possible bellwether for the prospects of other felons convicted over the attack.