A man who participated in the January 6, 2021, events at the U.S. Capitol has filed a federal lawsuit seeking nearly $18 million in damages, alleging he endured severe physical abuse and medical neglect during his pretrial detention.
Ryan Samsel, a barber who prosecutors identified as the first person to breach the Capitol grounds that day, filed the lawsuit Tuesday under the Federal Torts Claim Act. The suit includes claims of malicious prosecution, abuse of process, negligence, medical malpractice, civil conspiracy, assault, battery, and false imprisonment.
Samsel spent time in multiple detention facilities across Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C., between his 2021 indictment and receiving a presidential pardon on January 20, 2025. A jury had convicted him of felony assault and obstruction of an official proceeding on February 2, 2024, charges that could have resulted in up to 20 years in prison.
The lawsuit details numerous alleged incidents of abuse across different facilities. Samsel claims correctional officers at a Washington, D.C. jail falsely identified him as a member of the Proud Boys to other inmates, making him a target. He alleges officers zip-tied his hands behind his back before beating him severely, resulting in reduced vision, ongoing seizures, and bone fractures. The director of the D.C. Department of Corrections denied any wrongdoing in 2021.
At the Rappahannock Regional Jail in Virginia, Samsel alleges he was forced to sleep on the floor and was beaten by a cellmate who recognized him from news coverage. He claims officials subsequently placed him in solitary confinement and refused to allow him surgery to remove two ribs, leaving a vascular condition untreated.
The lawsuit describes additional alleged abuses at Central Virginia Regional Jail, where Samsel claims he was denied access to his attorney and medical care. He states he was deprived of exercise, showers, basic hygiene, and library access during this period.
At Northern Neck Regional Jail in Virginia, Samsel alleges another assault occurred during which officers slammed him into a wall, dragged him to an area without camera surveillance, and stabbed him in the legs and ankles with keys. He claims the assault was severe enough to require CPR.
During his time at federal facilities in Pennsylvania, including the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia and Lewisburg Federal Correctional Institution, Samsel alleges he was forced to sleep on a mace-sprayed mattress and had scheduled surgeries canceled. He claims he was sometimes forced to obtain food through the toilet system and was denied basic hygiene, exercise, and religious materials.
The lawsuit also describes poor detention conditions, including months spent in solitary confinement with lights constantly on and 17 hours in four-point restraints, which Samsel claims caused a blood clot. He alleges that after his conviction, officials at Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center housed him in a broom closet.
Samsel’s malicious prosecution claims stem from his alleged refusal to testify that he witnessed Proud Boys organizer Joe Biggs handling a gun during the January 6 events. He also claims that following his presidential pardon, he spent an additional night in custody due to a prosecutor’s false claim about an outstanding warrant.
After his conviction, Samsel alleges he was housed with an MS-13 gang leader who attacked him for his political beliefs.
The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge David Novak. Attorneys representing Samsel declined to comment on the filing.
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