Four men from Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia have been sentenced for their involvement in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Their actions, along with others, disrupted a joint session of Congress convened to certify the 2020 presidential election results.
On September 19, 2024, U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb sentenced Stephen Chase Randolph (34) of Harrodsburg, Kentucky; James Tate Grant (31) of Cary, North Carolina; Jason Benjamin Blythe (28) of Fort Worth, Texas; and Paul Russell Johnson (38) of Lanexa, Virginia, for multiple felony and misdemeanor charges related to the Capitol breach.
- Randolph received 8 years in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.
- Grant was sentenced to 36 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.
- Blythe was given 30 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.
- Johnson received five years of probation, including intermittent confinement on weekends for the first year, two years of home confinement, a $25,000 fine, and $2,000 in restitution.
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A fifth defendant, Ryan Samsel (40) of Bristol, Pennsylvania, is scheduled to be sentenced on February 4, 2025.
All five defendants were convicted of civil disorder. Additionally, Samsel and Randolph were found guilty of assaulting a police officer with a dangerous weapon (a metal crowd control barrier), inflicting bodily injury. Grant, Johnson, and Blythe were also found guilty of using the same metal barrier to assault another officer.
Randolph faced an additional felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, while Samsel faced further charges of civil disorder and using a dangerous weapon (a wooden plank) to assault officers.
Details of the Incident
During the trial, prosecutors revealed that the group was among the first to breach restricted Capitol grounds on January 6, leading the initial attack on Capitol Police. Their actions allowed thousands of rioters to storm the Capitol.
At approximately 12:40 p.m., the group, along with other rioters, gathered at the Peace Circle near the Capitol. Shortly after, they began pushing through bike-rack barricades placed to prevent access to the Capitol grounds. By 12:50 p.m., Samsel breached the first barricade, followed closely by Grant, who signaled the crowd to move forward. Johnson, Blythe, Randolph, and others joined in, pushing their way past officers.
Samsel, Grant, and the others forcibly removed the second barricade, eventually using it as a weapon against Capitol Police officers. The force of the attack caused one officer to lose consciousness after striking their head on a metal handrail. Another officer was thrown backward by the metal barricade.
As the barricades fell and officers were outnumbered, the group advanced toward the Capitol building, where they continued to engage in violent actions, including storming the halls, inciting the crowd, and resisting law enforcement.
Continuing Investigation
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with assistance from several FBI field offices and the U.S. Capitol Police. Samsel, Grant, Johnson, Randolph, and Blythe were identified through FBI photographs as key participants in the breach.
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