Public January 6 profile · ready to claim
Ryan Stephen Samsel
Pardoned January 6 defendant
Documented editorial-use imageRyan Stephen Samsel is a Bristol, Pennsylvania man out of Bucks County who spent four years in federal custody before a single day of sentencing was ever imposed on him. Read that again. Four years held. Never sentenced. Pardoned. Released. That is not an opinion, that is the docket. FACT: Ryan Samsel was arrested January 30, 2021, and was convicted after a bench trial in February 2024 on felony and misdemeanor counts (U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia). FACT: He had not been sentenced when he received a full presidential pardon on January 20, 2025 (Office of the Pardon Attorney, pardon certificate recipients release). FACT: He was released from federal custody on January 21, 2025 (CBS News New York). FACT: On June 9, 2026, Ryan Samsel filed a federal lawsuit seeking roughly $18 million, alleging abuse and mistreatment during his pretrial detention (Courthouse News Service; The Epoch Times; Justia dockets, E.D. Va. 3:2026cv00530). THEIR ACCOUNT: In that filing his lawyers allege he was held in a segregated unit with the lights on around the clock, denied exercise and showers, and beaten by corrections officers. Those are allegations in a pending civil case and have not been proven (Courthouse News Service; The Epoch Times). FACT: He also alleges he was held an extra day after his pardon issued (Courthouse News Service). Bristol Borough sits on the Delaware in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. That is where Ryan Stephen Samsel is from, and that is where he went home. CASE RECORD Case number: 1:21-cr-00537-JMC Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Arrested: January 30, 2021 Verdict: bench trial, February 2, 2024 Sentence: none imposed Clemency: full presidential pardon, January 20, 2025 The civil case is ongoing. Nothing in it has been decided. We will update this page when the court rules. This profile is unclaimed. If this is you, or your family, claiming it is free, forever.
The case file
On the record
- Case number
- 1:21-cr-00537-JMC
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- Judge
- Jia M. Cobb
- Disposition
- Found guilty after a bench trial on February 2, 2024, on multiple felony and misdemeanor counts; not sentenced before receiving a full presidential pardon on January 20, 2025; released from federal custody on January 21, 2025.
- Arrested
- January 30, 2021
Charges
- Court finding — civil disorder
- Court finding — assaulting, resisting, or impeding Officer C.E. with a dangerous weapon or while inflicting bodily injury
- Court finding — obstruction of an official proceeding; person-specific post-Fischer docket treatment remains pending verification
- Court finding — additional civil-disorder and officer-assault counts described in DOJ’s February 2, 2024 release
- Court finding — assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon described by DOJ as a wooden plank
- Court finding — physical violence on Capitol grounds
- Court finding — disorderly and disruptive conduct on Capitol grounds
Sentence
No sentence was imposed. DOJ reported that sentencing was scheduled for February 4, 2025, but a full presidential pardon issued on January 20, 2025.
Press & news
- https://courthousenews.com/pardoned-insurrectionist-seeks-nearly-18-million-over-pretrial-detention-conditions/ →
- https://dockets.justia.com/docket/virginia/vaedce/3%3A2026cv00530/597885 →
- https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/ryan-samsel-january-6th-released/ →
- https://www.justice.gov/pardon/freedom-information-act-foia-release-pardon-certificate-recipients →
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/five-men-found-guilty-multiple-felony-and-misdemeanor-charges-actions-related-jan-6 →
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/four-men-sentenced-prison-actions-during-jan-6-capitol-breach →
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/pennsylvania-man-indicted-assault-law-enforcement-during-jan-6-capitol-breach →
- https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/investigations/pa-suspect-in-jan-6-attack-speaks-out-after-being-pardoned-by-president-trump/4090348/ →
- https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/pardoned-j6er-sues-government-for-18-million-for-alleged-abuse-in-pretrial-detention-6046006 →
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Connection to United States v. Nichols
Ryan Stephen Samsel appears in the record of United States v. Nichols through 7 shared documents on file below. The full case — timeline, people, documents — is public and free.
Walk the whole case →Evidence on file
7 documents on file
Court1 document
Court orders, rulings, transcripts, and docket entries.
Govt response4 documents
Responses from DC DOC, the U.S. Marshals, and federal agencies.
other · Jan 20, 2025
Office of the Pardon Attorney — Ryan Stephen Samsel certificate-recipient listing
The Office of the Pardon Attorney lists “SAMSEL, RYAN STEPHEN” among individuals who requested and were issued January 6 pardon certificates. Canonical-URL SHA-256: 3186b7a5a6c73ffca231aaccd067418e5f05283ae13582d8434a3647dc55d4c3. Capture: current DOJ HTML reviewed July 24, 2026; person-specific certificate binary pending.
Readarticle · Sep 20, 2024
DOJ notice of Ryan Samsel’s scheduled sentencing
DOJ co-defendant sentencing release stating that Samsel was scheduled for sentencing on February 4, 2025. No sentence was imposed before the January 20, 2025 pardon. Canonical-URL SHA-256: 8064381e222bdd4265d3d38b136614e95ebc5f9d25f6ac4bd29882a6ec09ec42. Capture: canonical HTML reviewed July 24, 2026.
Readarticle · Feb 2, 2024
DOJ bench-trial verdict announcement — Ryan Samsel and co-defendants
DOJ release reporting Judge Jia M. Cobb’s February 2, 2024 bench-trial findings for Ryan Samsel, James Tate Grant, Paul Russell Johnson, Stephen Chase Randolph, and Jason Benjamin Blythe. Canonical-URL SHA-256: b5bf9d1eafcebecc9beff5a20eed8b15e9ddb5c7384ac9e6b78f8471535a81f5. Capture: canonical HTML reviewed July 24, 2026; native findings and complete trial record pending.
Readarticle · Aug 26, 2021
DOJ indictment announcement — Ryan Stephen Samsel (August 26, 2021)
DOJ press release reporting Samsel’s August 25, 2021 indictment and January 30 arrest. The charging descriptions are allegations as of the filing date, not then-established facts. Canonical-URL SHA-256: 68870290299df8fbcfa8560c611ec2ace1b3f7a88bfece84cda27501f364107b. Capture: canonical HTML reviewed July 24, 2026; persistent archive-controlled page capture pending.
ReadNews2 documents
Press coverage.
article · Jun 9, 2026
Ryan Samsel detention-conditions civil complaint — reported allegations
Courthouse News report on Samsel’s June 9, 2026 Federal Tort Claims Act complaint seeking nearly $18 million. The report summarizes plaintiff allegations concerning detention conditions and government conduct. No allegation is treated as adjudicated. Canonical-URL SHA-256: 505e090353d399cb57c8c2912cedf2361d6908c54fb79cc743aa3c8320526197. Capture: publisher HTML reviewed; native complaint remains pending.
Readarticle · Jan 21, 2025
CBS New York interview with Ryan Samsel after release
CBS New York documented Samsel’s January 21, 2025 release from federal custody and published his firsthand responses about January 6 and confinement. His statements are preserved as attributed firsthand claims, not independent archive findings. Canonical-URL SHA-256: 4a33bf8b11131f41c17334cb863b04e0435654d83f6e9cca382212101048b149. Capture: article HTML reviewed; native video and complete transcript pending.
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