Curtis Johnson gave the Republican National Committee (RNC) $15,000 on June 2009. In 2008, he donated $1,000 to the RNC. He gave a total of $2,000 to Representative Paul Ryan, in four separate donations. The S.C. Johnson and Sons political action committee (PAC) donated $99,700 in 2010 alone. In 2008 it donated $94,125 and similar amounts in previous years.
In March 2011, Johnson was charged in Racine County Circuit Court with sexually assaulting his step-daughter over a period of three years, starting from when she was 12 years old. In June 2014, he pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors. The victim had moved to North Carolina and wanted the case dismissed and fought efforts to make her appear and testify. Johnson was sentenced to four months in jail with Huber privileges after 60 days and fined $6,000. He will not have to register as a sex offender. If convicted of the felony charges he could have been sentenced to as much as 40 years in prison.
