Andrew Paul Johnson, 45, a pardoned Jan. 6 rioter, was sentenced to life in Florida prison Thursday for horrific child sex crimes against two juveniles in Brooksville.
The Crimes
July 2025 Hernando County probe: Deputies found explicit Discord messages where Johnson groomed victims (boy/girl under 16), urged app switches/deletions, bought gifts/silence. Victims testified to repeated molestation/exhibition; he posed as “father figure” after couch-surfing via mom’s political rally meetup.
Guilty Feb. trial: Lewd/lascivious molestation (<12 and 12-16), two exhibition counts, harmful material transmission.
Jan. 6 Tie
2023 federal charges for Capitol breach (pleaded guilty 2024, 1-year sentence). Pardoned Day 1 of Trump’s 2nd term (Jan. 20, 2025) with ~1,500 others; celebrated online, eyed restitution.
Sickening fall—pardon freed him for local horrors. Justice served, but victims scarred.
