Federal prosecutors are revealing how much in damages the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6 caused — and the prosecutors want defendants to pay for some of it.
The damage estimate of roughly $1.5 million so far was stated on Wednesday in court and plea papers, according to The Washington Post. The plea papers were part of the case of Paul Hodgkins, who “pleaded guilty to one felony count of obstructing an official proceeding of Congress,” the Post reports. He faces 15 to 21 months in prison and his sentencing is July 19.
A plea agreement letter, written by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Sedky, read, “Your client acknowledges that the riot that occurred on January 6, 2021, caused as of May 17, 2021, approximately $1,495,326.55 damage to the United States Capitol.” It was signed by Hodgkins and his attorney in May.
As part of the plea, Hodgkins will pay the Treasury Department $2,000 restitution.
Additionally, the Post reports, “The basis of the $1.5 million damage estimate is not clear. Prosecutors gave no details, but the estimate appears to reflect the immediate costs of replacing broken windows, doors and other property.”
Some prosecutors are looking to require $2,000 restitution “in each felony case and $500 in each misdemeanor case,” per the report, which cites defense attorneys.
However, as the Post later writes, “The government will hardly reap a windfall under this approach, given that even if every defendant agreed to terms and pleaded guilty, the total paid would be well below $1 million.”
As of May 6, about 440 defendants have been charged since rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, according to CBS News, and at least 100 more are still expected to be charged.
Prosecutors said in a court filing in May that the Capitol riot is “likely the most complex investigation ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice.”
Citing the Department of Justice, over “125 defendants have been charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding officers or employees, and at least 35 of those were charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon,” CBS News reports. During the riot, roughly 140 officers were assaulted. Five people died in the Capitol riot.
