Ryan Samsel is a Pennsylvania barber whom federal prosecutors identified as the man who instigated the first breach of the U.S. Capitol’s restricted perimeter on January 6, 2021. He toppled police barricades at the Peace Circle, injured Capitol Police officer Caroline Edwards, and was convicted of multiple felonies in February 2024. He spent nearly four years in federal custody before President Donald Trump pardoned him on January 20, 2025, and he has since sued the federal government for nearly $18 million over his treatment in jail.
What Samsel Did at the Capitol
Samsel arrived at the Capitol grounds before President Trump had finished speaking at the Ellipse. Surveillance footage captured him approaching the barricades at the Peace Circle shortly before 1 p.m.1Politico. Ryan Samsel Jan 6 Defendant In the minutes before the breach, he spoke briefly with Proud Boys leader Joseph Biggs, later convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 17 years, and with Ray Epps. Both Samsel and Epps have said Epps urged him not to attack police.2Washington Post. Jan 6 Capitol Riot Samsel
At the Peace Circle, Samsel unlatched barricades at an unguarded spot and led a crowd toward a second line of police. He and four other men lifted a row of five linked bike-rack barriers and hurled them into a group of Capitol Police officers. Officer Caroline Edwards was struck in the jaw by a steel rack, knocked into a stairway railing, and briefly lost consciousness. She testified that she suffered a concussion and endured months of vertigo and migraines afterward.2Washington Post. Jan 6 Capitol Riot Samsel
Prosecutors described the Peace Circle confrontation as the first breach of the restricted perimeter. Samsel remained on Capitol grounds for about 90 minutes afterward. Video evidence showed him trying to wrestle a riot shield from police, attempting to dismantle an inauguration scaffold, and throwing a long two-by-four plank at officers.2Washington Post. Jan 6 Capitol Riot Samsel
Criminal Record Before January 6
Samsel is from Bristol in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and worked as a barber in Center City Philadelphia before his arrest.3Philadelphia Inquirer. Ryan Samsel Guilty Capitol Riot Carolyn Edwards Jan 6 He was 39 at the time of his conviction.
His record of violent crime goes back years. In 2006, he was convicted of terroristic threats and reckless endangerment for running a woman’s car off the road and threatening to kill her over a $60 debt. In 2009, he was convicted of simple assault and reckless endangerment for holding a woman against her will for five hours and choking her into unconsciousness. In 2011, he was convicted of beating and choking his pregnant girlfriend, including holding her head under water. Another simple assault conviction followed in 2015.4GWU Program on Extremism. Government Opposition to Defense Motion to Revoke Detention Order
At the time of the Capitol attack, Samsel was on parole for his 2011 conviction and had an outstanding arrest warrant in New Jersey over 2019 allegations that he broke into a woman’s home and assaulted her.5Washington Post. Capitol Riot Ryan Samsel Violence
The Federal Case and Conviction
Samsel was arrested in January 2021 and held in custody throughout the case. United States v. Samsel, et al. (Case No. 1:21-cr-00537) was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., and assigned to Judge Jia M. Cobb.6CourtListener. United States v. Samsel Docket In opposing his pretrial release, prosecutors filed a lengthy memorandum citing his history of violence against women.4GWU Program on Extremism. Government Opposition to Defense Motion to Revoke Detention Order
Samsel was tried alongside four co-defendants: James T. Grant, Paul R. Johnson, Stephen C. Randolph, and Jason B. Blythe. All five chose a bench trial. On February 2, 2024, Judge Cobb found all five guilty of felony civil disorder and assaulting a police officer. Samsel, Grant, and Johnson were also convicted of obstructing an official proceeding of Congress.2Washington Post. Jan 6 Capitol Riot Samsel The judge rejected charges against all five related to trespassing on restricted grounds, ruling that the government had failed to prove they knew a Secret Service protectee, Vice President Mike Pence, was present at the Capitol.1Politico. Ryan Samsel Jan 6 Defendant
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra F. Foster argued at trial, “They started the Capitol breach. Now they must take responsibility.” Defense lawyers countered that it was unfair to single out five strangers who happened to end up in the same spot amid a crowd of thousands.2Washington Post. Jan 6 Capitol Riot Samsel
The charges carried maximum sentences of 20 years.7Lawfare. Evenhanded Injustice Jan 6 Pardons Commutations Dismissals Samsel’s sentencing was initially set for June 13, 2024, then rescheduled to February 4, 2025.8NBC Philadelphia. PA Suspect in Jan 6 Attack Speaks Out After Being Pardoned He was never sentenced.
The Pardon and Release
On January 20, 2025, his first day back in office, President Trump signed a proclamation granting “full, complete and unconditional” pardons to roughly 1,500 January 6 defendants. Samsel was among them.9Politico. Donald Trump Jan 6 Pardons Trump said of the defendants, “These people have been destroyed. What they’ve done to these people has been outrageous.”
Samsel walked out of the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center the following morning. “No phone call, no money, no nothing. They just kicked me out,” he told CBS News. His first public words were, “Love you, Mr. Trump.”10CBS News. Ryan Samsel January 6th Released
Before the inauguration, Vice President J.D. Vance had publicly said Trump would not pardon those who violently assaulted police officers.7Lawfare. Evenhanded Injustice Jan 6 Pardons Commutations Dismissals To secure release from the outstanding New Jersey warrant, Samsel agreed to a payment plan resolving the 2019 assault case.11Philadelphia Inquirer. Ryan Samsel Capitol Riot Interview
What Samsel Has Said Since
In interviews after his release, Samsel minimized his conduct on January 6. He told CBS News that if he committed any crime that day, “maybe a civil disorder, maybe a misdemeanor,” and described himself as “nonviolent.” He claimed to have shaken hands with the officer he was convicted of assaulting.10CBS News. Ryan Samsel January 6th Released He told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he feels “deep remorse” for his crimes before January 6 but does not regret his actions that day, saying “good can come from it.”11Philadelphia Inquirer. Ryan Samsel Capitol Riot Interview
Samsel said he intends to work on criminal justice and prison reform. “I get a second chance at life, and I don’t intend on wasting it,” he told NBC Philadelphia. “And I don’t want to embarrass Mr. Trump by getting myself in trouble.”8NBC Philadelphia. PA Suspect in Jan 6 Attack Speaks Out After Being Pardoned He said he reached out to Senator John Fetterman, Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, and Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner about collaborating on the issue. None of the three responded to media inquiries about his overtures.11Philadelphia Inquirer. Ryan Samsel Capitol Riot Interview
The $18 Million Lawsuit Over Jail Treatment
On June 9, 2026, Samsel filed a federal lawsuit against the United States under the Federal Tort Claims Act, seeking nearly $18 million. The complaint, assigned to U.S. District Judge David Novak in the Eastern District of Virginia, asserts malicious prosecution, abuse of process, negligence, medical malpractice, civil conspiracy, assault, battery, and false imprisonment.12Courthouse News Service. Pardoned Insurrectionist Seeks Nearly 18 Million Over Pretrial Detention Conditions The lawsuit alleges prosecutors pursued his case in part because he refused to testify that he had witnessed Joseph Biggs handling a firearm during the Capitol attack.
The claims trace a series of alleged incidents across multiple facilities. In late March 2021, weeks after his arrest, his attorney Elisabeth Pasqualini reported that two correctional officers at the D.C. Correctional Treatment Facility entered his cell early in the morning, ordered him into zip-tie handcuffs, moved him to another cell, and beat him. Samsel suffered a broken nose, a shattered orbital floor, and a broken jaw. His attorney said he could not see out of his right eye and that the damage might be permanent.13CBS News. Capitol Riot Defendant Ryan Samsel Viciously Beaten Guard Washington DC Jail The D.C. Department of Corrections said the allegation was under investigation by the Department of Justice, and the FBI’s Washington Field Office acknowledged awareness of the claims but would not confirm or deny an investigation.14ABC News. Capitol Riot Defendant Claims Attacked DC Jail Guards No public findings from any investigation have been reported.
Samsel’s later allegations include being beaten by a cellmate at Rappahannock Regional Jail in Virginia, being dropped during a cell extraction at Central Virginia Regional Jail, and being dragged to an area without camera coverage at Northern Neck Regional Jail, where he said officers punched him, slammed his head into a door, and stabbed his legs with keys so severely that he required CPR. He also alleged months of solitary confinement under constant lighting, denial of medical care and showers, and being housed in what he described as a broom closet at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center.12Courthouse News Service. Pardoned Insurrectionist Seeks Nearly 18 Million Over Pretrial Detention Conditions
As of mid-June 2026, Samsel v. United States of America, 3:26-cv-00530, is in its earliest stages. Samsel has completed service of process on the government, and the Justice Department has not yet filed a response.15PACER Monitor. Samsel v United States of America