By Brian Brant
(WASHINGTON) A Florida man became the first Capitol Hill rioter to be sentenced with a felony on Monday after pleading guilty last month to obstructing congressional proceedings, according to CNN.
Paul Hodgkins, 38, received 8 months in prison for trying to obstruct the official counting of electoral votes as he took part in the Jan. 6 riot.
However, the sentence is less than the 1.5 years that the Justice Department asked for. Hodgkins was seeking probation.
District Judge Randolph Moss said Hodgkins, who spent about 15 minutes inside the Senate chamber, contributed a serious offense though deserved leniency for pleading guilty "exceptionally early" in the aftermath of his charges.
"He was staking a claim on the floor of the United States Senate, not with the American flag but with a flag declaring his loyalty to a single individual over the entire nation," he said.
CNN reports the sentencing could set a marker for other Capitol riot cases with nearly 550 defendants charged overall.