A Florida construction worker who received a presidential pardon for participating in the January 6th Capitol attack has been handed a life sentence for sexually abusing two minors.
Andrew Paul Johnson, 45, received the life sentence on Thursday from Hernando County Circuit Judge Stephen Toner after being found guilty of multiple charges including lewd and lascivious molestation of children and electronically sending harmful material to a minor.
Johnson was one of more than 1,500 individuals who received clemency from President Donald Trump for their involvement in the Capitol breach. The sweeping pardons, commutations, and case dismissals were issued on Trump’s first day returning to office.
Hernando County authorities launched their investigation into the child abuse allegations in July 2025. According to investigators, one victim reported that Johnson’s abuse began around April 2024, which was months before he received his sentence for the Capitol riot charges.
Court documents reveal that Johnson told one of his victims he anticipated receiving compensation as a pardoned January 6th participant and promised to include the child in his will to receive any remaining funds.
“This tactic was believed to be used to keep (the child) from exposing what Andrew had done,” the report said.
Prosecutors from Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson’s office discovered explicit messages Johnson had sent to one victim through the Discord platform.
“In the messages, Johnson attempted to have the victim download another application for a more private conversation and encouraged the victim to delete their messages afterwards,” Gladson’s office said in a news release.
Before his pardon, Johnson had been sentenced to 12 months in federal prison by Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington after entering guilty pleas to four misdemeanor charges related to the Capitol incident. Johnson had attempted to retract his guilty plea, alleging he was coerced, but the judge denied his motion.
The Seffner, Florida resident had carried a megaphone while walking to the Capitol following Trump’s “Stop the Steal” demonstration near the White House. Federal prosecutors stated he gained entry to the building by climbing through an office window that other participants had broken. After police deployed tear gas to clear the crowd of Trump supporters, Johnson shouted profanities and threats at law enforcement officers, according to prosecutors.
