The Justice Department has recommended a sentence of 20 years in prison for a Pennsylvania barber who was convicted in February 2024 for his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Ryan Samsel was found guilty of assaulting federal officers, carrying out an act of physical violence on the Capitol grounds, and obstruction of an official proceeding.
The Justice Department argues that a sentence of 240 months in prison, three years of supervised release, $2,000 restitution, and a fine is necessary to reflect the gravity of Samsel’s conduct and to provide sufficient deterrence. The department cites Samsel’s lack of remorse, active and public rehashing of false narratives, violent criminal history, and interest in assaulting the Capitol again.
Samsel was the first person to breach the restricted perimeter of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and was part of a group of supporters of then-President-elect Donald Trump who attempted to delay the certification of President Biden’s 2020 election victory. The Justice Department describes Samsel’s actions as he verbally abused officers, forcibly pushed and pulled on metal barricades, and assaulted an officer by lifting a metal barricade and striking him in the face with it.
The department also notes that Samsel spent over an hour and a half “terrorizing the police on the West Front” of the Capitol, assaulting officers with his flag, grabbing another officer’s shield, and throwing a 2×4 plank and a pole at police lines. The department argues that Samsel’s actions were proud of his actions on that day, taking a selfie video and announcing that he had breached the Capitol, and years later, told an interviewer that his actions were justified because “sometimes civil disorder is needed.”