US capitol rioter pardoned by Trump gets life sentence for molesting two children

A Florida man who had earlier been convicted for his role in the January 6 United States Capitol attack and later pardoned by US President Donald Trump has now been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of molesting two children.

Andrew Paul Johnson, 45 , a handyman from Seffner, Florida, received the life sentence from a Hernando County court after being convicted of two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation of a child and one count of electronically transmitting harmful material to a minor . The sentence was handed down by Circuit Judge Stephen Toner following Johnson’s conviction last month.

Johnson had previously come under the spotlight for his involvement in the storming of the United States Capitol in Washington in January 2021, when supporters of Trump attempted to disrupt the certification of the presidential election results.

According to federal prosecutors, Johnson marched to the Capitol after attending Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House. Carrying a bullhorn, he entered the building through a window that had been smashed by other rioters and shouted at police officers as law enforcement used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

In August 2024, a federal court sentenced Johnson to one year in prison after he pleaded guilty to four misdemeanour charges related to the riot. However, after returning to the White House last year, President Trump issued a sweeping clemency order that pardoned, commuted sentences or dismissed cases for more than 1,500 people charged in the Capitol attack , including Johnson.

Authorities in Hernando County began investigating Johnson in July 2025 after allegations surfaced that he had sexually abused two minors. One victim told investigators the abuse began in April 2024 , months before Johnson’s Capitol riot sentencing.

Investigators also discovered sexually explicit messages exchanged between Johnson and one of the victims on the messaging platform Discord . Prosecutors said Johnson encouraged the victim to move conversations to another application and delete messages to keep them hidden.

Officials said Johnson even suggested he expected to receive compensation as a pardoned January 6 defendant and told one victim they could inherit money from him, a tactic investigators believe was used to prevent the abuse from being exposed.

Authorities said the life sentence reflects the seriousness of the crimes and underscores that clemency in one case does not shield individuals from accountability for other offences .