Charges

Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority and engages in any act of physical violence against any person or property in any restricted building or grounds.

Case Status

Arrested 2/4/21. Indicted 3/5/21.

Arraigned 3/18/21 and pleaded not guilty to counts 1-4.

On September 13, 2023, a jury found Defendant Ryan Zink guilty of three counts arising from his conduct at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021: Obstruction of an Official Proceeding, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c) (Count I); Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1752(a)(1) (Count II); and Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1752(a)(2) (Count III).

Federal prosecutors will seek the maximum prison term allowed by law this week for a Texas man who mounted an unsuccessful bid for Congress after his conviction for participating in the Capitol riot.

Ryan Zink, 35, was convicted by a jury in September 2023 of a felony count of obstruction of an official proceeding and two misdemeanors for joining the mob on the east side of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The Justice Department agreed to dismiss the obstruction charge in August following the Supreme Court’s ruling narrowing its use.

State legislator Jeff Dotseth was arrested in 2008 after his then-wife called police to report he’d assaulted her, one episode in what she and her son would describe in civil court filings as more than a decade of abuse.