Bristol Man, Central Figure In U.S. Capitol Attack, Faces Trial

The Bristol Borough man who was among the first people who began attacking federal authorities during the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol is on trial.

The bench trial for Ryan Stephen Samsel, 39, began Monday before U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia Jia Cobb. He is facing multiple charges, including civil disorder, assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon, entering restricted grounds with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct with a dangerous weapon, engaging in physical violence on restricted grounds with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct in the Capitol, obstruction of an official proceeding, and others.

Samsel, who has had previous police run-ins over the years in the Levittown area, has been held in federal custody since his arrest by federal law enforcement in the weeks after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

“The five defendants charged in this case – Ryan Samsel of Pennsylvania, James Tate Grant of North Carolina, Paul Russell Johnson of Virginia, Stephen Randolph of Kentucky, and Jason Blythe of Texas – each traveled to Washington, D.C. intent on blocking the certification of the 2020 Presidential election. Together, they participated in the first breach of the restricted Capitol grounds on January 6, 2021, and led the initial attack on United States Capitol Police (USCP) officers. Their attack paved the way for thousands of rioters to storm the Capitol grounds,” federal prosecutors filed in a brief ahead of the trial.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Mirabelli said in the pre-trial court filing that Samsel and his co-defendants took part in activity that would lead to “hours of terror, violence, destruction and injury.”

Stanley Woodward Jr. is the attorney representing Samsel.

“It’s not even remotely possible to pin the events of January 6 on Mr. Samsel,” Woodward told the court, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The newspaper said the issue of Samsel’s role in using a bike rack in his attack on police will be central to the trial.

The Courthouse News Service reported Woodward called foul on the government charging Samsel with using a dangerous weapon, which the prosecution said is a metal barricade.

Samsel gained national attention not only for his alleged crimes and a jailhouse attack that left him injured but also for the individuals he communicated with leading up to the attack.

Video captured Samsel talking with Joe Biggs, a Proud Boys leader who was convicted of sedition-related charges, and he was also speaking with Ray Epps, a Arizona man who became the focus of conspiracy theorists who claimed was a plant by the federal government. Epps and federal authorities have denied the man was affiliated with them and no evidence has emerged to bolster the conspiracy.

Samsel has been accused of assaulting U.S. Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards. She suffered a brain injury and testified about it during the January 6th Select Committee hearing last week.

Samsel was reportedly attacked three different times while in custody, including a serious attack in March 2021. He told a judge in 2021 that he was worried about his medical care behind bars.

In the March 2021 attack, Samsel reportedly suffered a head strike and loss of consciousness, bilateral eye ecchymosis, acute kidney injury, injury of the wrists, fracture of the orbital floor, bilateral facial bilateral nasal bone fracture, and thoracic outlet syndrome.

A fundraising campaign for Samsel has raised more than $85,000.

Samsel has a history of crime and violence, largely against women. In one case, he attacked his pregnant girlfriend, smashed hot pizza in her face, beat her, and held her head under water, according to court papers.

Samsel headed down to Washington D.C. the day of the attack with Raechel Genco, of Bristol Township’s Levittown section. She was charged and later pleaded guilty. A federal judge ordered her last September to 12 months of probation, 60 hours of community service, and to pay $500 restitution.

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