A man who was pardoned by Donald Trump for his role in the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol has been found guilty of multiple child sexual abuse charges in Florida. Andrew Paul Johnson was convicted on five counts, including molesting a child under 12 and another under 16, as well as lewd and lascivious exhibition.
Johnson, who was arrested in Tennessee in August and extradited to Florida, pleaded not guilty. A jury acquitted him of one count of transmitting harmful material to a minor by electronic device. He now faces a potential life sentence, according to Walter Forgie, chief assistant state attorney for Florida's fifth judicial circuit. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
The Hernando County Sheriff's Office received a report in July that two juveniles had been victims of lewd and lascivious acts over several months. A probable cause affidavit stated that the mother of one child discovered Johnson, her former boyfriend, had sent inappropriate messages via Discord to her son. The child allegedly told his mother that Johnson had molested him three times between April and October 2024, starting when he was 11.
The police document also claimed Johnson told the boy he had been pardoned for storming the Capitol and was receiving $10 million as a result, adding that he would put the child in his will. Police believed this tactic was used to prevent the child from exposing the abuse.
Johnson was among approximately 1,500 defendants charged for the 6 January attack whom Trump granted clemency early in his presidential term. Trump has discussed compensating such defendants, but none have received compensation so far. Johnson pleaded guilty to January 6-related charges in April 2024 but later unsuccessfully attempted to withdraw the plea.
