Washington, Nov 19 (EFE).- A man who was pardoned by President Donald Trump for participating in the 2021 Capitol attack was arrested in Florida on multiple charges of child sexual abuse, according to court records.
The detainee, Andrew Paul Johnson, 44, faces accusations of child sexual abuse against two minors aged 12 to 16, as well as charges of indecent exposure and transmission of harmful material to a minor.
Johnson, who pleaded not guilty, was arrested in Tennessee in August and extradited to Florida.
According to the court report, first reported by The Intercept, the investigation began after a call about two minors who were allegedly victims of 'lewd acts over several months' by the rioter.
The mother of one of the victims reported Johnson's sexual abuse of her son for several months and stated that the minor said that 'between April 1, 2024, and October 2024,' the detainee had sexually abused him three times, when he was 11 years old.
Subsequently, Johnson allegedly told the victim that he was pardoned for the Capitol attack and would receive a $10 million reward, something investigators believe he said to prevent the minor from revealing what happened.
Johnson is one of about 1,500 people who were charged in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Congress to try to prevent the certification of Joe Biden's election victory.
Trump, who called them 'heroes,' signed the pardon on the first day of his second term, last January 20.
The Republican had even been indicted for inciting the Capitol attack, but the prosecution dropped the case after he won last year's presidential election.
