Andrew Paul Johnson, a January 6 rioter who received a full presidential pardon from Trump, was sentenced to life in prison on March 5, 2026, after a Florida jury convicted him of sexually abusing two middle-school-aged children.
Johnson was freed from federal prison by Trump's mass pardon of January 6 defendants. Just seven months later, in August 2025, he was arrested for repeatedly sexually abusing two children. He was convicted on five criminal charges including molestation, lewd and lascivious exhibition, and transmission of material harmful to a minor.
In a disturbing detail, Johnson told his victims he would share millions of dollars in restitution money he expected to receive from the Trump administration in connection with his January 6 case — using the pardon as leverage to keep children quiet about the abuse.
Johnson is one of several pardoned Capitol riot defendants who have been arrested for new crimes since receiving clemency. The case illustrates the consequences of Trump's blanket mass pardons, which freed violent offenders without individual review of their criminal histories or risk assessments.