Rumors circulated online in mid-November 2025 that a man pardoned for his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., was later arrested over an allegation he molested a child.
Users on social media platforms such as Instagram (archived) and Facebook (archived) shared the claim, causing some to ask, "Why pardon them then?!"
President Donald Trump pardoned about 1,500 people connected to the Jan. 6 riot on the first day of his second term, fulfilling a campaign promise.
The claim that one of the insurrectionists pardoned by Trump was later arrested on charges related to child molestation was true.
The Hernando County, Florida, Sheriff's Office filed an affidavit July 18, 2025, that accused Andrew Paul Johnson of molesting an 11-year-old boy three times in 2024. The affidavit said the mother of the victim discovered messages between her son and Johnson — her ex-boyfriend — on the child's Discord app.
The affidavit also said Johnson told the child he "was pardoned for storming the Capitol on January 6th, 2021, and he was being awarded $10,000,000 as a result of being a 'jan 6'er'" and "that he would be putting him in his 'will' to take any money he had leftover."
The affidavit further said "there is a possibility that Andrew is aware of the allegations, and he has mentioned leaving the state to [victim] before."
Indeed, Johnson fled Florida and was arrested in Williamson County, Tennessee, on Aug. 26, 2025. Snopes contacted the Williamson County Sheriff's Department who confirmed via email that Johnson "was taken into custody by the Marshals and brought to our Detention Center on a hold for Florida."
A search of inmates (archived) in Hernando County showed Johnson was booked in Florida on Sept. 8, 2025, and being held without bail as of this writing. His charges included lewd and lascivious behavior, molestation of a victim less than 12 years old, cruelty toward a child and transmission of harmful information to a minor.
(Hernando County Sheriff's Office)
Johnson's role in Jan. 6
For his participation in the Jan. 6 insurrection, Johnson was sentenced in August 2024 to one year in prison followed by a year of supervised release, as well as a $2,336 fine and $500 in restitution, according to court documents. He had pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful entry; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, NPR reported.
The sentencing memorandum included a detailed description of Johnson's activities and social media presence, as well as photographs identifying Johnson during the riot.
He was pardoned as part of Trump's "unconditional pardon" for Jan. 6 participants announced on Jan. 20, 2025, — Inauguration Day.