January 6th: Mob convicted of child sexual abuse after being pardoned by President Trump

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A Florida man pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2025 for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was found guilty this week on child sexual abuse charges.

On Tuesday, February 10, a jury in Hernando County, Florida, found Andrew Paul Johnson, 45, guilty of five charges, including sexual abuse of a child under 12 and 16 years of age, and lewd and obscene display.

Johnson was first arrested in July 2025, according to court records obtained by USA TODAY.

During his arrest, investigators learned that Johnson had tried to silence one of his victims by claiming he had received $10 million from the Trump administration in restitution for the Jan. 6 defendant and would leave a portion of the money to the victim in his will.

Authorities described a pattern of abuse that included physical and sexual assault, as well as exposing his genitals to children over several months. One of the victims was 11 years old at the time of the abuse, police said.

William Forgie, chief assistant prosecutor for Florida’s 5th Circuit, said in a statement to NPR that Johnson could face 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 to be charged with crimes after being pardoned

Johnson is the latest in a string of Capitol rioters to commit new crimes after being pardoned by President Trump in 2025.

Christopher Moynihan, 34, of Clinton, New York, was charged in October with a felony count of making terroristic threats for allegedly sending threatening text messages about House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.)’s scheduled public appearance.

According to court records, the text message read: “Jeffries will be speaking in New York in the next few days. I cannot let this terrorist live. … Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated. … I will kill him for the future.”

According to ABC News, Moynihan pleaded guilty on February 5 and agreed to serve three years of probation.

In a separate case, Zachary Jordan Arum, 33, of Northern Virginia, was arrested in May 2025 on suspicion of breaking into a Henrico County home and stealing personal property, local station WUSA-TV reported.

Police said Alam entered a home in the area through a back door, encountered the homeowners and fled the scene before being arrested nearby.

USA TODAY’s Terry Collins contributed to this report.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact us at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow us at X @fern_cerv_.

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