A Bristol Borough man accused of taking part in the January 6 attack of the U.S. Capitol will be temporarily released to the custody of Pennsylvania authorities.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui last week ordered Ryan Stephen Samsel, 37, be transferred from federal custody to that of the state. He will be held by Pennsylvania authorities on a state parole detainer and will be held by state authorities until at least April 24, 2022.
“The Court finds that his temporary release from federal custody to the custody of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is appropriate to ensure his safety and care. The Court will later issue a federal warrant to be lodged as a detainer against the Defendant, which will ensure that the Defendant is returned to the custody of the Attorney General prior to his release by Pennsylvania upon the completion of his time of incarceration there,” Faruqui wrote.
Samsel has been charged with forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with a federal agent while they were engaged in their official duties; committed or attempted to commit any act to obstruct, impede, or interfere with any fireman or law enforcement officer lawfully engaged in the lawful performance of official duties; and obstructed, influenced, or impeded any official proceeding or attempted to do so.
Samsel and his attorney Elisabeth Pasqualini requested the 37-year-old man be released from federal custody to state custody.
A prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice argued Samsel is among “most dangerous category of offenders” connected to the Capitol attack. They requested he remain behind bars.
Assistant U.S. Attorney April Russo previously stated in court that Samsel poses a potential threat to a witness if he were to be released.
Samsel has a troubling history of violence, largely against women, over his adult life. 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.
During the January 6 insurrection in Washington D.C., Samsel was among the early groups to break through the police lines at the Capitol complex. He attacked a female federal police officer. She suffered a brain injury and has not yet returned to full duty.
“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,” the officer said to Samsel in a written statement to the court.
In addition to breaking the police line and attacking the officer, Samsel has been accused of confronting other officers and attempting to steal gear from a uniformed U.S. Capitol police officer, the FBI said.
Samsel has been in federal custody since the end of January, when he was arrested in Lower Bucks County by a task force made up of local police and federal special agents.
Samsel and his attorney claim he was attacked and “severely” injured in a Washington D.C. jail in March by a corrections officer. Pasqualini said the attack left him with injuries that are in addition to existing conditions which have not been properly treated.
Samsel traveled to the U.S. Capitol in January with a Bristol Township woman, who was also charged by federal authorities.
See also:
Feds: Bucks County Man Arrested In Capitol Attack Has ‘Extensive History’ Of Violence
FBI Capitol Riot Investigators Arrest Another Person From Bucks County
Wife’s Facebook Posts Helped FBI Nab Bucks County Man On Capitol Riot-Related Charges
Lawyer For Bucks Co. Man Accused Of Capitol Riot Assault Claims He Was Beaten By Prison Staff
