Capitol Rioter Pardoned By Trump Sentenced For Molesting 2 Children | EUROtoday

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Florida handyman who was sentenced on Thursday to life in jail for molesting two youngsters had been convicted of storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, however was pardoned by President Donald Trump.

Andrew Paul Johnson, 45, is amongst a number of Jan. 6 defendants who’ve been charged with new crimes since Trump’s sweeping act of clemency for Capitol rioters. On his first day again within the White House final 12 months, Trump pardoned, commuted jail sentences or ordered the dismissal of instances for all 1,500-plus individuals charged within the assault.

Johnson was convicted final month of two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation of a kid and one depend of electronically transmitting materials dangerous to a minor, in line with prosecutors in Hernando County, Florida. County Circuit Judge Judge Stephen Toner handed down Johnson’s life sentence.

Sheriff’s deputies started investigating the kid molestation allegations in opposition to Johnson in July 2025. One of his victims instructed investigators that the abuse began round April 2024, a number of months earlier than Johnson was sentenced for his Capitol riot conviction.

Johnson instructed one in every of his victims that he anticipated to be compensated for being a pardoned Jan. 6 defendant and could be placing the kid in his will to inherit any leftover cash, in accordance a sheriff’s workplace report.

“This tactic was believed to be used to keep (the child) from exposing what Andrew had done,” the report stated.

Investigators discovered sexually specific messages that Johnson exchanged with one in every of his victims on the Discord messaging app, in line with Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson’s workplace.

“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 workplace stated in a information launch.

Chief U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg in Washington sentenced Johnson in August 2024 to at least one 12 months behind bars after he pleaded responsible to 4 misdemeanor costs stemming from the riot. Johnson had requested to withdraw his responsible plea, claiming that he was pressured into it, however the choose rejected his request earlier than sentencing.

Johnson, of Seffner, Florida, was carrying a bullhorn as he marched to the Capitol after attending Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally close to the White House. He entered the constructing by an workplace window that different rioters had smashed, in line with federal prosecutors. Johnson cursed and yelled at law enforcement officials after they used tear gasoline to disperse the mob of Trump supporters, prosecutors stated.