A Florida handyman who stormed the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 and was later pardoned by Donald Trump has been sentenced to life in prison for molesting two children. Andrew Paul Johnson, 45, was convicted last month of two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation of a child and one count of electronically transmitting material harmful to a minor.
Johnson is among several January 6 defendants who have faced new charges since Trump granted sweeping clemency to over 1,500 people involved in the Capitol attack. On his first day back in the White House last year, Trump issued pardons, commuted sentences, or ordered case dismissals for all those charged.
Sheriff’s deputies in Hernando County, Florida, began investigating the child molestation allegations in July 2025. One victim told investigators the abuse started around April 2024, months before Johnson was sentenced for his Capitol riot conviction. Johnson told one victim he expected compensation as a pardoned January 6 defendant and would include the child in his will, a tactic believed to prevent disclosure, according to a sheriff’s report.
Prosecutors said sexually explicit messages were found on the Discord messaging app, where Johnson tried to move conversations to a more private platform and urged the victim to delete messages. County circuit judge Stephen Toner handed down the life sentence.
Johnson had previously pleaded guilty to four misdemeanour charges from the Capitol riot and was sentenced in August 2024 to one year in prison. He entered the building through a smashed office window and shouted abuse at police officers after they used tear gas to disperse the mob.
