Brooksville Jan. 6 defendant sentenced to life for molesting two children after Trump pardon

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Courtesy: Hernando County Sheriff's Office

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. - A Brooksville man who was previously charged in connection with the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol will spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted of sexually abusing two children in Hernando County.

What we know:

Andrew Paul Johnson, 45, was found guilty of lewd or lascivious molestation of a child younger than 12, lewd or lascivious molestation of a child between 12 and 16, lewd or lascivious exhibition and transmitting harmful material to a minor, according to court records and the Office of the State Attorney for Florida’s 5th Judicial Circuit.

Hernando County sheriff’s deputies began investigating in April 2024 after a mother reported finding inappropriate Discord messages between Johnson and a child, according to a probable cause affidavit signed by Detective Brent Stentz Jr.

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The affidavit states one child told investigators Johnson molested him multiple times between April and October 2024. The child said he woke up to Johnson’s hand in his pants while sleeping on a lanai at Johnson’s home. Another incident was reported at a hotel in Tarpon Springs.

Investigators say Johnson told the child to delete messages and keep the incidents secret. The affidavit also alleges Johnson showed the children pornographic videos and images on his phone.

January 6 and the Alleged "Compensation"

The Hernando County affidavit includes a striking claim tied to Johnson’s January 6 Capitol riot case.

According to the document, Johnson told one victim that since he had been pardoned for "storming the Capitol on January 6th, 2021," he was being awarded $10,000 as a result of being a Jan. 6 defendant. The affidavit says Johnson told the child he would put him in his will to inherit any money he had left over. Investigators wrote they believe this was a tactic to keep the child from exposing what happened.

Federal records show Johnson was charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the Capitol. An FBI statement of facts says he entered the building through a broken window and was later arrested for violating Washington’s curfew.

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Johnson later received clemency as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping pardon of Jan. 6 defendants. He is among several defendants who have faced new criminal charges since those pardons.

Local perspective:

The case was investigated by the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted in Florida’s 5th Judicial Circuit. Authorities say some of the abuse happened at Johnson’s Brooksville home, placing the crimes squarely in Hernando County.

Johnson was also described in the affidavit as transient and possibly aware of the allegations before his arrest.