A Florida January 6 rioter, pardoned by Trump, will spend the rest of his life in prison after he was found guilty of molesting two children. The man cried as the judge was reading his sentence, knowing his freedom was taken away for good, a very justified outcome to his heinous crimes.
According to The Associated Press (AP), the man is 45-year-old Andrew Paul Johnson. He had previously been convicted of storming the Capitol on January 6, 2021. However, he was pardoned by President Trump in January 2025.
However, the allegations against Johnson were raised in July 2025. One of the victims told investigators that the abuse occurred back in April 2024. Astonishingly, this was months before the Florida man was convicted of storming the Capitol.
As reported by VPM, Johnson molested two young victims, a 12-year-old boy and his best friend, a girl, also 12. The boy’s mother testified that the 45-year-old man, a handyman, said he could fix things at her house after meeting him at a political rally.
The boy said in court that, after watching “a scary movie,” he woke up to Johnson touching him in his “private area.”
After he was released from prison, the heinous behavior resumed. Johnson contacted the boy through Discord and Roblox. He sent explicit messages to him, and, at some point, invited the boy and the girl to spend an afternoon with him.
Both victims testified that Johnson exposed himself to them, made explicit comments, and molested the young girl. The Florida man then told them not to say anything to anybody. He even told the children that he would share the money he’d receive in restitution from the Trump administration. Not such a thing ever happened.
Arrested, Convicted, And Sentenced
Eventually, the boy’s mother discovered the disturbing Discord messages, and, after confronting the children, she called the police. Seven months after receiving the presidential pardon, Johnson was back in jail.
In February 2026, Johnson was found guilty of lewd or lascivious molestation of a child younger than 12, lewd or lascivious molestation of a child between 12 and 16, lewd or lascivious exhibition, and transmitting harmful material to a minor, as per Fox 13.
On Thursday, March 5, he was sentenced to life in prison. As shown in the clip above, shared by WFLA, the man cries while hearing his sentencing. He muttered multiple words, too, including, “I’m sorry, man.”
Users bashed Johnson across social media platforms, also criticizing the Trump administration for pardoning him in the first place.
“MAGA is quiet on this one,” one user said. Another one commented, “As long as he is loyal to Trump, there is a good chance he will get pardoned again.” A third one added, “These men have no control.”
