Jan. 6 Rioter Pardoned by Trump Sentenced to Life for Child Sex Abuse

A Florida man who received a presidential pardon from Donald Trump for his participation in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of multiple sex crimes against children.

Andrew Paul Johnson, 45, was found guilty by a Hernando County, Florida jury in February 2026 of five counts related to child sexual abuse. The charges included lewd or lascivious molestation of a victim under 12 years old, lewd or lascivious molestation of a victim between 12 and 16 years old, two counts of lewd or lascivious exhibition, and transmission of harmful information to a minor.

The Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office announced Johnson’s life sentence on March 5, marking a dramatic reversal of fortune for a man who had been freed from federal custody just months earlier through Trump’s blanket pardon of January 6 participants.

Court documents reveal disturbing details about Johnson’s crimes. According to an affidavit, he attempted to silence one of his victims by boasting about his pardon, claiming he “was pardoned for storming the Capitol on January 6th, 2021, and he was being awarded $10,000,000 as a result of being a ‘jan 6’er.'” Johnson reportedly told the child he would include him in his will to receive leftover money, apparently in an effort to prevent the boy from reporting the abuse.

Trial records obtained by NPR indicate both victims testified they were too afraid to tell adults about the abuse they had suffered.

Johnson’s legal troubles began with his participation in the Capitol insurrection, where court documents describe him “breaching the U.S. Capitol Building through a broken window, encouraging other rioters, belligerently accosting police officers, and rioting for over four hours stopping only due to arrest.”

In August 2024, under the Biden administration, Johnson was sentenced to one year of incarceration and one year of supervised release after pleading guilty to unlawful entry, disorderly conduct in a restricted building, and related charges. A federal sentencing memorandum noted Johnson had called for a “second January 6” on social media and failed to comply with release conditions, including being charged with driving under the influence and resisting an officer.

Johnson’s case took a dramatic turn when President Trump, fulfilling a campaign promise, issued an “unconditional pardon” for January 6 rioters on his first day back in office in January 2025. Court documents from April 2025 confirm Johnson’s conviction was vacated and the case dismissed “as moot” due to Trump’s pardon.

However, Johnson’s freedom was short-lived. Hernando County records show he was booked on September 8, 2025, on charges related to child sex abuse. The case proceeded to trial, resulting in his conviction in February 2026 and the subsequent life sentence.

The case has drawn renewed attention to Trump’s mass pardon of January 6 participants, with Johnson becoming one of the most notorious beneficiaries of that executive action. While the presidential pardon cleared Johnson of his federal convictions related to the Capitol riot, it held no bearing on the state-level sex crimes charges he faced in Florida.

Johnson’s case represents an extraordinary trajectory from federal prisoner to pardoned individual to convicted child sex offender facing life imprisonment, all within the span of approximately 18 months.

Law enforcement officials in Hernando County have not commented on whether Johnson’s earlier federal case influenced their investigation into the child sex abuse allegations.