Man Whose Attacks on Jan. 6 Were Seen as a Tipping Point Convicted for Assault

Ryan Samsel, a Pennsylvania barber, was found guilty along with four co-defendants, but he was acquitted of trespassing on the Capitol grounds.

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A mob rushing the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

A Pennsylvania barber whose violent attacks on the police on Jan. 6, 2021, were widely seen as the tipping point in the storming of the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob was convicted on Friday of federal assault charges.

The barber, Ryan Samsel, was one of the first people to confront the police on Jan. 6 and push through barricades at what is known as the Peace Circle, allowing hundreds of others behind him to breach the grounds of the Capitol and ultimately the building itself. Prosecutors at a trial for Mr. Samsel and four co-defendants, who were also convicted of assault and other charges, said that the men’s actions “ignited a fire that burned for over four hours at the Capitol.”

The guilty verdicts, returned by the judge after a bench trial in Federal District Court in Washington, were the latest reminders that the prosecutions of those who took part in the storming of the Capitol continue apace, even more than three years after the attack. This week alone, charges were unsealed against at least nine additional defendants, bringing the total number of people accused in connection with the Capitol attack to more than 1,260.

The assault on the building has also found itself front and center in the 2024 presidential campaign as former President Donald J. Trump has lionized those who joined in it, referring to them as “hostages” and “political prisoners.” As he has often done with potential political liabilities, Mr. Trump has sought to flip the script on the Capitol attack and turn it to his electoral advantage through a campaign of persistent disinformation built around the assertion that the Justice Department is persecuting him and his supporters.

Last week, a federal judge in Washington appointed by President Ronald Reagan denounced such attempts to rewrite the history of Jan. 6, calling them “shameless,” “preposterous” and potentially a “danger to our country.”

“In my 37 years on the bench, I cannot recall a time when such meritless justifications of criminal activity have gone mainstream,” the judge, Royce C. Lamberth, wrote. “I have been dismayed to see distortions and outright falsehoods seep into the public consciousness.”

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