FBI Arrests Woman Accused Of Stealing Pelosi Laptop During Riot

Reprinted with permission from DailyKos

Joining the increasing number of Trump supporters arrested after storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, a Pennsylvania woman who allegedly took a laptop belonging to Speaker Nancy Pelosi was arrested Monday. The woman, identified as 22-year-old Riley June Williams, is charged with intentionally entering into a restricted building without lawful authority in addition to disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. While Williams has not yet been charged with theft, the FBI is investigating the matter and what her intentions were.

According to an FBI court filing on Sunday, a witness who self-identified as a former significant other of Williams told the bureau that Williams "intended to send the computer device to a friend in Russia, who then planned to sell the device to SVR, Russia's foreign intelligence service." The witness also directed the agency to a 32-minute video from inside the Capitol posted to ITV News. The viral video has since been removed from YouTube.

The footage from ITV News depicts Williams in a green T-shirt and brown trench coat. Clips of her from the riot went viral for her directing rioters to repeatedly go "up the stairs'' toward Pelosi's office. Referring to Williams, a reporter can also be heard saying that the woman depicted was "disciplined, focused, with a sense of urgency directing people up a staircase."

Additionally, Williams was also allegedly caught on video taking "a laptop computer or hard drive" from the Capitol. According to the affidavit, while the transfer fell through for "unknown reasons," Williams either "still has the computer device or destroyed it."

Pelosi's deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, confirmed on Jan. 8 that a laptop went missing from the conference room on Jan. 6, but noted "it was a laptop that was only used for presentations."

While Williams had driven from Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C., with her father to attend the riots, her father told the FBI the two were separated during the incident. Her mother, Wendy Williams, told reporters and local law enforcement that her daughter had a sudden interest in Donald Trump and participated in "far-right message boards," and had packed a bag before she was arrested claiming that she would be gone for a couple of weeks.

"I'm very unhappy," she said confirming it was her daughter in the videos. "I'm sad that that happened to her, that she was actually inside. That's what the video shows, you know."

According to the FBI, Williams also changed her phone number and deleted multiple social media accounts after the Capitol riots. After what FBI officials believe was Williams' attempt to flee, Williams turned herself into local police on Monday. It is not yet clear whether or not she has an attorney. More than 125 people have been arrested so far in connection to the attack on the Capitol, the Associated Press reported.