Kriti Mehrotra
If there’s one thing absolutely nobody can deny, it’s that Florida native Paul Allard Hodgkins is arguably one of the most prominent insurrectioners from the January 6, 2021, storming of the Capitol. After all, this then 38-year-old was the one captured on video as he stood on the Senate Floor waving a massive Trump flag and carrying rope while a fellow protester gave an almost rallying speech. The fact he had long, black, shoulder-length hair, was wearing leather armbands, and had safety goggles on his being had also caught the eyes of many, resulting in his quick identification by the FBI.
Thus came Paul’s arrest from his Tampa home on February 16, 2021, shortly following which he was released on a $25,000 bond before being formally indicted on five different federal counts. They were disorderly conduct, disruptive conduct, entering or remaining in restricted buildings/grounds, obstruction of an official proceeding, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in the Capitol. Yet, in the end, on June 2, 2021, he ended up pleading guilty to just obstructing an official proceeding, for which he received 8 months in jail, 2 years of supervised release, and $2,000 in restitution.
Paul Hodgkins is Home and Still Backs Donald Trump
During Paul’s sentencing hearing on July 19, 2022, he addressed District Judge Randolph Moss in court and said he was “truly remorseful and regretful” for what he did on January 6, 2021. “I say this not because I face consequence, but because of the damage that day’s incident caused, the way this country that I love has been hurt… This was a foolish decision on my part that I take full responsibility for. I do not nor will not make any excuse.” Therefore, as per the plea agreement, he was released from federal custody into supervised release nearly eight months later — on April 14, 2022.
Since then, from what we can tell, Paul has returned home to his two cats in Tampa, Florida, where he happily remains to this day — he actually can’t step out of the state until spring 2024, but it doesn’t appear as if this bothers him too much at the moment. As for whether his views or beliefs have changed since then, the short answer is no — he still watches conservative television, backs former President Donald Trump, and vehemently maintains “my opinions on what’s good and what’s not good for our country have not changed.” In other words, he hasn’t evolved into a liberal.
In HBO’s ‘The Insurrectionist Next Door,’ former local wrestler Paul did indicate he had dreams of making it onto the big stage with WWE, but once it didn’t pan out, he dedicated all his efforts to supporting Donald Trump. “You know, plans change,” he said. “Your passions change, your interests change over time… I would say his rise to being our leader was a big part of my life. I found a lot of cause in that. All around, I like his character a lot. I still feel that Donald Trump was the very best US President, of my lifetime at least.”
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