Violent Bristol Man Convicted Capitol Attack Case

A Bristol Borough man with a violent past was found guilty Friday of being among the first to commit violence during January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

On Friday afternoon inside a federal courtroom in Washington D.C., Ryan Stephen Samsel, 39, learned the outcome of the case from U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia Jia Cobb.

Samsel was convicted of eight of 12 charges, including causing serious injuries to a U.S. Capitol police officer.

His co-defendants – James Tate Grant, of North Carolina; Paul Russell Johnson, of Virginia; Stephen Randolph, of Kentucky; and Jason Blythe, of Texas – were also found guilty of various crimes, including act of physical violence on the Capitol grounds or buildings, civil disorder, and other offenses.

Samsel and his co-defendants were acquitted of several counts, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a dangerous weapon and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or ground with a dangerous weapon, according to Jordan Fischer, a reporter for TV station WUSA 9.

Sentencing for Samsel and his co-defendants is scheduled for June 13 before Cobb.

The judge ordered Samsel to remain locked up until sentencing.

The convictions came after federal prosecutors argued during a trial that the defendants had traveled to Washington D.C. with the intent of obstructing the certification of the 2020 presidential election. Their early breach of Capitol grounds facilitated the subsequent storming of the Capitol by thousands of rioters.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Mirabelli described the actions as leading to “hours of terror, violence, destruction, and injury.”

Stanley Woodward Jr., Samsel’s defense attorney, told LevittownNow.com on Friday afternoon that he didn’t wish to comment on the outcome of the case.

Samsel had previous police run-ins over the years in the Levittown area and has been in federal custody since the end of January 2021 when he was arrested in Lower Bucks County by a task force made up of local police and federal special agents.

The Bristol Borough man 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, an Arizona man who became the focus of conspiracy theorists who claimed was a plant by the federal government. Epps, who has pleaded guilty for his role, and federal authorities have denied the man was affiliated with them and no evidence has emerged to prove 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 in 2022.

“You have stolen moments away from me that I can’t get back … You stole months of me working alongside this country’s most dedicated police officers,” Edwards wrote to Samsel, according to court records.

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

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 in the March 2021 attack.

The Gateway Pundit, a website known for factual follies and pushing untrue information, has shared stories of Samsel’s claims of mistreatment.

The website has published writings it has said are from Samsel. He stated he was “protesting” during the attack and had been let down by past attorneys, accusing them of being against former President Donald Trump.

Fundraisers for Samsel have raised tens of thousands of dollars, but the man claimed that not all of that money has gone to him or his defense.

Ahead of sentencing this week, Samsel allegedly wrote that the judge had a “coldness” to her and was a “no-nonsense person.”

According to court papers, 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.

On January 6, 2021, Samsel headed down to Washington D.C. 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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