Feb. 11, 2026, 7:17 p.m. ET
A Florida man pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2025 for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack was convicted of child sexual abuse charges this week.
On Tuesday, Feb. 10, a jury in Hernando County, Florida, found Andrew Paul Johnson, 45, guilty of five charges, including molesting a child under 12 and another under 16, as well as lewd and lascivious exhibition.
According to court records obtained by USA TODAY, Johnson was first arrested in July 2025.
During the arrest, investigators learned that Johnson tried to silence one of the victims by claiming that he would receive $10 million from the Trump administration as restitution for Jan. 6 defendants and would leave a portion of the money with the victim in his will.
Officials described a pattern of abuse that included physical and sexual assaults, as well as exposing his genitalia to children over a period of several months. Police said one of the victims was 11 years old at the time of the abuse.
William Forgie, the chief assistant state attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit in Florida, said in a statement sent to NPR that Johnson could face up to life in prison when he is sentenced in March.
Johnson’s public defender listed in online court records did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.
Not the first Capitol rioter charged with crimes after pardon
Johnson is the latest in a string of Capitol rioters who have committed new crimes after receiving a pardon from Trump in 2025.
Christopher Moynihan, 34, of Clinton, New York, was charged in October with a felony count of making a terroristic threat, accused of sending threatening text messages about a scheduled public appearance by Minority House Leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
“Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC, I cannot allow this terrorist to live. … Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated. … I will kill him for the future,” the text messages read, according to court records.
Moynihan pled guilty to the charges on Feb. 5 and agreed to serve three years of probation, according to ABC News.
In another case, Zachary Jordan Alam, 33, of Northern Virginia, was arrested in May 2025 after allegedly breaking into a home in Henrico County and stealing personal items, local outlet WUSA-TV reported.
According to police, Alam entered a residence in the area through a back door and was confronted by homeowners, where he then fled the scene before he was arrested in a nearby neighborhood.
USA TODAY’s Terry Collins contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
