A man previously pardoned by Donald Trump for his role in the violent January 6 Capitol insurrection has been arrested and faces multiple serious child sexual abuse charges in Florida, according to local authorities.
From Insurrection to New Allegations
Andrew Paul Johnson, 44, was taken into custody in August in Tennessee and subsequently extradited to Florida. Arrest records show he faces charges including lewd and lascivious child molestation of a child under 12, lewd and lascivious child molestation of a child between 12 and 16, lewd and lascivious exhibition, and transmission of material harmful to a minor.
Johnson has entered a plea of not guilty to all charges. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Guardian, and the White House also remained silent on the arrest.
Disturbing Details of the Case
A probable cause affidavit reveals that the Hernando County Sheriff's Office received a report in July stating that two juveniles had been victims of lewd and lascivious acts over a period of many months.
Officers spoke with the mother of one child, who identified Johnson as her ex-boyfriend. She reported discovering "inappropriate" Discord messages Johnson had sent to her son. When she questioned her son, he allegedly disclosed that Johnson had molested him three times between 1 April 2024 and October 2024, when the boy was 11 years old.
The affidavit contains a particularly disturbing claim. It alleges that Johnson told the child he had been "pardoned for storming the Capitol on January 6, 2021" and was being awarded $10,000,000 as a result. Johnson reportedly told the child he would be put in his will, a tactic investigators believe was used to intimidate the child and prevent him from reporting the abuse.
A Pattern of Troubled Pardons
Johnson was among roughly 1,500 individuals charged in connection with the 6 January 2021 attack who received pardons or commutations from Trump earlier this year. While Trump has publicly floated the idea of compensating those prosecuted for their role, none have received such payments to date.
According to an FBI affidavit, on January 6, Johnson unlawfully entered the Capitol through a breached window on the Lower West Terrace. NBC News reported that he referred to himself as an "American Terrorist" and "Proud j6er," engaging in disorderly conduct for several hours and encouraging other rioters.
Johnson pleaded guilty in April 2024 to charges including entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct. He later attempted to withdraw his plea, but this was denied.
This case is not an isolated incident among those pardoned for January 6 offences. Last month, another pardoned man was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill Democratic House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries. In July, another was sentenced to life for plotting attacks on an FBI office, and in May, a third was arrested for burglary and vandalism.
Johnson is currently being held at the Hernando County detention centre in Spring Hill, Florida, as the legal proceedings continue.
