Florida man accused of storming US Capitol pleads guilty

Wednesday, 2 June 2021 20:25

By Reuters

ANNA MONEYMAKER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

A Florida man on Wednesday became the second person so far to plead guilty for his role in storming the US Capitol on January 6.

He had entered the US Senate chamber clad in a Trump t-shirt and waving a red flag that said "Trump 2020."

In US District Court in Washington DC, Paul Allard Hodgkins pleaded guilty in a virtual hearing to one count of obstructing an official proceeding.

The charge can carry a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, though US District Judge Randolph Moss said federal sentencing guidelines call for a sentence in the range of 15 to 21 months.

More than 440 people have been charged in connection with the Capitol riots, in which throngs of former President Donald Trump's supporters entered the Capitol in a failed bid to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's election victory.

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