Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by Trump is convicted of child molestation [View all]

Source: nbc news



Andrew Johnson tried to bribe a child victim with the promise of a Jan. 6-related payout, prosecutors say. Trump has discussed the possibility of compensating rioters, but no one has received any payments.
Feb. 11, 2026, 6:55 PM CST By Ryan J. Reilly


A Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by President Donald Trump has been convicted of child molestation and other crimes after he tried to use an anticipated payout from the Trump administration to silence one victim, according to a Florida prosecutor's office.

A jury in Hernando County found Andrew Paul Johnson, 45, guilty by of five charges, including molesting a child under 12 and another under 16, as well as lewd and lascivious exhibition and transmitting harmful materials by electronic device to a minor, according to Walter Forgie ​​​​of the Fifth Judicial Circuit’s state attorney’s office.

Johnson faces life in prison when he is sentenced in March, the state attorney's office said. His defense attorney did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.


Johnson pleaded guilty in 2024 to nonviolent charges after he entered the U.S. Capitol through a broken window during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Court documents say Johnson, who referred to himself as “American Terrorist” and “Proud j6er,” engaged in “disorderly and disruptive conduct” for more than four hours.

..............

And Johnson is one of several former Jan. 6 defendants facing criminal charges in separate cases after their pardons. One, Christopher P. Moynihan, 35, pleaded guilty this week to a harassment charge after he was accused of threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., according to The Associated Press................



Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/jan-6-rioter-pardoned-trump-convicted-child-molestation-rcna258635