A former Jan. 6 defendant who alleged torture and other abuse in custody is suing the federal government for almost $18 million.
The lawsuit by Ryan Samsel of Bristol, Pennsylvania, was filed late June 9 in federal court in Virginia, six months after he gave the government the legally required notice he was planning to litigate. He is seeking $17,980,000 from the federal government for physical and mental injuries suffered from January 2021 through January 2025.
According to the newly filed legal complaint, Samsel was convicted in February 2024 of civil disorder-related offenses in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach and was incarcerated and awaiting sentencing when President Donald Trump pardoned him last year….