A Hertford woman has pleaded guilty to two federal charges tied to her involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and is scheduled to be sentenced in October.
Sandra Lee Hodges pleaded guilty on May 13 to one misdemeanor count each of disorderly and disruptive conduct in a Capitol building and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Hodges’ case is being heard in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
According to court documents, each conviction carries a maximum sentence of six months imprisonment, a term of probation no longer than five years, a fine of no more than $5,000 and “an obligation to pay any applicable interest or penalties on fines and restitution not timely made.”
Hodges, who is being represented by Diana Pereira, an assistant federal defender with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, in Raleigh, signed the conditions of her plea arrangement on April 29, documents show.
She is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 23, the spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Hodges was 61 at the time FBI agents arrested her at her home in the 100 block of Nanthala Court West, Albemarle Plantation, on Thursday, Feb. 1. She was initially charged with four federal offenses tied to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. That day, supporters of former President Donald Trump breached the U.S. Capitol in hopes of disrupting a joint session of Congress from certifying the Electoral College votes for the 2020 presidential election won by Joe Biden.
Hodges was arrested after a warrant was issued on Jan. 26 by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and was initially charged with one federal count each of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a Capitol building and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
Hodges made her first appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui on Tuesday, Feb. 13. The hearing was conducted online via video teleconference. She was released on personal recognizance under several conditions, including that she submit to supervision by Pretrial Services of the EDNC, surrender her passport, “stay away” from Washington, D.C. except for the purpose of court-related matters, and that she not possess a firearm, according to court documents.
A criminal complaint unsealed Feb. 1 in federal court provides details of the federal investigation that led to Hodges’ arrest.
Hodges was identified by police after a key card belonging to the high-end Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C. was discovered Jan. 9, 2021, during a cleanup of the Capitol grounds. The U.S. Capitol Police investigated the card and discovered it was connected to a room that Hodges reserved under her nickname “Sandy” for the period of Jan. 5-7, 2021.
Investigators believe Hodges dropped the card on the West Plaza of the Capitol during the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021.
The criminal complaint includes a narrative of Hodges’ movements, starting at 2:12 p.m. when she joined a crowd gathering on the West Plaza. The timeline concludes at 3:33 p.m. when Hodges was seen exiting the Capitol. Also included are several photos investigators say show Hodges interacting with other Jan. 6 rioters outside and inside the Capitol. The photos were pulled largely from video filmed by other participants, including a man named Anthime Gionet, a far-right “celebrity” known by the nickname Baked Alaska.
Hodges registered as a Republican in July 2018 and lists the Nanthala Court location in Albemarle Plantation as her address, according to N.C. State Board of Elections records. She is also a registered nurse with an active license issued April 26, 2011, by the Florida Department of Health. The license is set to expire in July.
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