A Florida man who previously pleaded guilty to charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol has been sentenced to life in prison after a jury convicted him of sexually abusing two middle-school-aged children.
Andrew Paul Johnson, 45, was found guilty Thursday on five criminal counts, including molestation, lewd and lascivious exhibition, and transmission of material harmful to a minor. A Florida court sentenced him to life in prison following the verdict.
Prosecutors said Johnson abused an 11-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl over an extended period, using his role as a trusted adult in the boy’s household to gain access to the children.
How Johnson Became Involved with the Family
According to testimony presented at trial, Johnson first met the boy’s mother at a political rally in 2023. The woman, who was raising two boys on her own, allowed Johnson to stay on the couch in her home. She testified that Johnson worked as a handyman and had offered to help with repairs around the house.
At the time, Johnson had already been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, though his federal case had not yet concluded.
The boy testified that the abuse began when he fell asleep while watching a movie with Johnson.
“I woke up in the morning, and he was touching me,” the boy told jurors. “I felt him touching me in my private area.”
When prosecutors asked why he did not report the incident immediately, the boy said he was frightened.
“I was too nervous… I was scared,” he testified.
The boy said Johnson later warned him not to tell anyone about the incident.
Prior Jan. 6 Conviction and Pardon
In April 2024, Johnson pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington, D.C., to several nonviolent charges connected to the Capitol breach. He was sentenced in August 2024 to one year in prison followed by one year of supervised release.
In January 2025, shortly after beginning his sentence, Johnson received a presidential pardon along with many other defendants charged in the Jan. 6 incident.
After his release, Johnson posted online, thanking former President Donald Trump for the pardon.
Abuse Continued After Release
Prosecutors said Johnson later re-entered the lives of the boy and his family, and the abuse continued.
According to testimony, Johnson communicated with the boy through the online gaming platform Roblox and the messaging service Discord. Some of the messages included sexually explicit content.
Johnson also spent time with the boy and the boy’s 12-year-old female friend, taking them to activities such as paintball and trampoline parks.
Both children testified that Johnson exposed himself to them, made sexually explicit comments, and abused the girl.
“We were scared,” the girl told the court. “We didn’t realize that this stuff was not okay because we were 12 years old.”
Discovery and Arrest
The abuse came to light in July 2025 when the boy’s mother discovered concerning messages on her son’s Discord account.
“She asked us if he did anything,” the girl testified. “We were reluctant at first because we were scared. But then we told her.”
The mother contacted law enforcement soon afterward.
Authorities located Johnson in Tennessee on Aug. 26, 2025, approximately seven months after he had received the presidential pardon. He was taken into custody and later prosecuted in Florida.
Following his conviction on five counts related to sexual abuse of minors, Johnson was sentenced to life in prison.
