Riley June Williams, a woman, who according to federal law enforcement, stole a laptop from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during the January 6 siege at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, turned herself in on Monday. Although the missing laptop was regarded as fairly inconsequential, Pelosi's deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, wrote in a tweet on January 8 that a laptop from the conference room was thieved.
The Woman Who Stole Pelosi's Laptop
Authorities have released a new photo, which they indicate is from Riley Williams' camera phone and shows the moment Pelosi's laptop was stolen from her office amid the insurrection.
According to Williams' former boyfriend, the 22-year-old stole the HP machine and tried to sell it to Russians.
The FBI stated the Pennsylvania woman who sought to sell the House Speaker's laptop bragged about the theft on social media. Williams came forward on Monday evening after federal authorities got an arrest warrant over her participation in the fatal attack at Capitol Hills, reported Daily News.
According to the Justice Department, Williams has been indicted for "knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, as well as violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds," reported The Sentinel.
Williams was imprisoned in the Middle District of Pennsylvania on Monday.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in an arrest warrant, she has not been indicted for theft but merely with illegally barging in the US Capitol and with disorderly behavior.
A caller claiming to be a former boyfriend of Williams alleged she intended to send the device over to a friend in Russia who planned to sell it to that nation's foreign intelligence service. The plan did not ensue, and she either has the device or destroyed it, which the FBI said is under investigation.
Also Read: Tearful Pelosi: Congress Members Who Were Accomplices to Capitol Siege May Be Prosecuted
Prior to her arrest on Monday, Williams had left her house and told her mother she would not be home for weeks, according to the FBI affidavit said, citing information from Harrisburg law enforcement.
According to FBI Special Agent Jonathan Lund, "Sometime after January 6, 2021, Williams changed her telephone number and deleted what I believe were her social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Telegram, and Parler," reported Business Insider.
As people began an effort to identify the rioters using the power of the internet, some were curious regarding the identity of Williams.
In truth, not a large amount of information is known about Williams. The 22-year-old is from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where she lives with her mother. Williams drove to Washington that day with her father, but they went in separate ways. Her father was reportedly connected to the Capitol siege.
One Twitter user predicted the most easily proven outcome of what is transpiring: Williams is going to have a very bad 2021.
Williams' mother told police that she recognized her daughter in the footage of the Capitol siege. She remarked her daughter had recently taken a sudden interest in President Donald Trump's politics and "far-right message boards."
