A Florida man who had previously pleaded guilty to charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol was sentenced to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of sexually abusing two middle school students.
Andrew Paul Johnson, 45, was found guilty Thursday of five criminal charges, including sexual abuse, lewd and lascivious display and transmitting material harmful to a minor. Following the verdict, a Florida court sentenced him to life in prison.
Prosecutors said Johnson abused an 11-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl over an extended period of time, using his role as a trusted adult in the boy’s home to gain access to the children.
How did Johnson become involved with his 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 by herself, allowed Johnson to sit on her couch at home. She testified that Johnson offered to work as a handyman and help with repairs around the house.
At the time, Johnson had already been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, but the federal case had not yet been 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 my private areas.”
When the prosecutor asked why he didn’t report the incident immediately, the boy said he was scared.
“I was so nervous…I was scared,” he testified.
The boy later said he warned Johnson not to tell anyone about the incident.
Convictions and pardons before January 6th
In April 2024, Johnson pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington, D.C., to several nonviolent charges related to the Capitol invasion. He was sentenced in August 2024 to one year in prison, followed by one year of supervised release.
In January 2025, shortly after completing his sentence, Johnson was granted a presidential pardon along with many other defendants charged in the January 6 incident.
After his release, Johnson posted online thanking former President Donald Trump for his pardon.
Abuse continues even after release
Prosecutors said Johnson then re-entered the boy and his family’s lives 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 contained 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 a trampoline park.
Both children testified that Johnson exposed himself to them, made sexually explicit comments, and abused the girls.
“We were scared,” the girl told the court. “We were 12 years old, so we didn’t know this was wrong.”
discovery and arrest
The abuse came to light in July 2025 when the boy’s mother discovered messages on her son’s Discord account.
“She asked us if he had done something,” the girl testified. “I was reluctant at first because I was scared, but then I told her.”
The mother called the police soon after.
Authorities located Johnson in Tennessee on August 26, 2025, about seven months after he received a presidential pardon. He was taken into custody and later charged in Florida.
Johnson was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty on five counts related to sexual abuse of minors.
