A man who received a pardon from President Donald Trump for his involvement in the January 6 Capitol attack has just been handed a life sentence for child molestation and a bunch of other related crimes, as reported by NBC News. Andrew Paul Johnson, 45, was arrested back in August, which was only about nine months after President Trump pardoned him and hundreds of other individuals connected to the January 6 events.
Those pardons covered everything from minor misdemeanors to serious felony charges, including assaulting officers with deadly weapons. Johnson was convicted last month on five charges, which included molesting a child under 12 and another under 16, along with transmitting harmful materials by an electronic device to a minor. The Office of State Attorney Bill Gladson of the Fifth Judicial Circuit in Florida confirmed his life sentence.
What’s even more disturbing is that Johnson reportedly told one of his victims that he was expecting a huge financial payout from the government because of his pardon. Law enforcement officials said he even claimed he would put the victim in his will to receive any leftover money.
This really highlights the kind of mindset some of these individuals might have had regarding the pardons
President Trump has openly talked about the idea of taxpayer-funded payouts for January 6 defendants. We’ve already seen a significant payout, with the Justice Department providing just under $5 million to the family of Ashli Babbitt, who was shot as she tried to jump through a broken window into the House Speaker’s Gallery during the Capitol breach.
This isn’t an isolated incident, either. It seems like we’re hearing about more and more legal troubles involving January 6 defendants. Just this week, another defendant from January 6, Bryan Betancur, was arrested in connection with an assault and battery that reportedly happened aboard a Metro train. Videos surfaced online that appeared to show him touching women’s hair without their consent.
Plus, over the weekend, another individual involved in the January 6 events was taken into custody on suspicion of threatening one of the officers who was protecting the Capitol on that day. It’s a stark reminder that the legal ramifications for some of these individuals continue to unfold, sometimes in ways that extend far beyond their initial involvement in the Capitol attack.
Trump recently sued the BBC for $1 billion, alleging the network “doctored” footage to make it appear as though he urged supporters to “fight” before the January 6 Capitol Riot.
Published: Mar 6, 2026 10:00 am