Prosecutors request prison sentence for man carrying Trump flag in Senate chamber on Jan. 6

Prosecutors are requesting a prison sentence for a man who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 and carried a Trump flag into the Senate chamber.

Paul Allard Hodgkins, 38, pleaded guilty last month to one count of obstructing an official proceeding.

Prosecutors are now encouraging a federal judge to sentence Hodgkins to an 18-month prison term, contending that there is a need to prevent domestic terrorism.

“The need to deter others is especially strong in cases involving domestic terrorism, which the breach of the Capitol certainly was,” Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Sedky said in a government sentencing request for Hodgkins, according to The Washington Post.

Sedky called on FBI Director Christopher Wray’s testimony from March before the Senate that said the issue of homegrown violent extremism is “metastasizing,” with some individuals being encouraged by the Capitol riot, according to the Post.

She also asked U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss of Washington to acknowledge previous court filings that illustrate that despite convicted individuals not having criminal history, their views make them “unique among criminals in the likelihood of recidivism,” the Post reported.

If Hodgkins is sentenced, it will be the first time a defendant from the Capitol riot serves prison time, according to the Post.

His sentencing is scheduled for Monday at 10 a.m.

According to the Department of Justice, Hodgkins, a crane operator from Tampa, entered the Capitol at around 2:50 p.m. on Jan. 6.

He “entered the Senate chamber, walked among the desks, and then removed eye goggles. He took a ‘selfie-style’ photograph with his cell phone and walked down the Senate well where, a few feet away, several individuals were shouting, praying and cheering using a bullhorn,” according to the Justice Department.

“Hodgkins walked toward the individuals and remained standing with them while they continued commanding the attention of others,” the department added.

He initially faced a five-count indictment, but prosecutors ultimately said they would drop four of the charges after he pleaded guilty to one, according to CBS News.

He now faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

When reached for comment, Hodgkins’s attorney Patrick Leduc told The Hill, “I trust the court’s judgment,” adding that the sentencing will be “somewhat unique as to Paul.”

In his sentencing memo, filed Monday, Leduc requested a below-guidelines sentence for Hodgkins.

He wrote that Hodgkins cooperated with authorities throughout the litigation process and has accepted full responsibility for his actions.

Leduc also cited Abraham Lincoln in the memo, writing that the country is “as divided as it was in the 1850’s,” and that the court has the opportunity to “exercise grace and charity, and to restore healing for those who seek forgiveness.”

“Alternatively, we can follow the mistakes of our past: to be harsh, seek vengeance, retribution, and revenge, and continue to watch the nation go down its present regrettable path,” Leduc wrote.

Updated at 4:05 p.m.