FBI investigator woman said she stole Pelosi’s laptop to sell to Russia

The Federal Bureau of Investigation obtained an arrest warrant for a Pennsylvania woman who allegedly stole a laptop from Mayor Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., During the January 6 riot on Capitol Hill, with the intention of selling the device to the Russian equivalent of the Central Intelligence Agency.

In a sworn statement signed on Sunday, FBI special agent Jonathan Lund said the agency was investigating Riley June Williams after a person described as his “former romantic partner” told authorities that Williams intended to send the computer to a friend on Russia, which would pass it along with the SVR, the country’s spy force.

Lund wrote that the former romantic partner said the transfer of the laptop “failed for unknown reasons” and that Williams still has the device or destroyed it.

Williams appears to have fled, Lund wrote in his statement. Williams’ mother told local police in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, that Williams had “packed up, left the house and told his mother he would be gone for a few weeks”.

“WILLIAMS did not provide the mother with any information about the intended destination,” wrote Lund. “Sometime after January 6, 2021, WILLIAMS changed his phone number and deleted what I believe to be his social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Telegram and Parler.”

Williams is accused of disorderly conduct on the Capitol grounds and of entering a restricted building. She could not be reached for comment.

Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Pelosi’s office, did not immediately respond to an inquiry. Hammill said shortly after the attack that a computer was stolen and that it was used only for presentations.

Lund’s statement says Williams was identified after his former partner made several calls to the FBI’s hotline. The FBI also analyzed the video of the rebellion that appears to show Williams on Capitol Hill leading a crowd up a ladder that leads to Pelosi’s office.

The statement also notes that police in Harrisburg met with Williams ‘mother, who was not identified, on January 11, after Williams’ mother filed a suspicious person report. Officers at one point watched Williams and his mother speaking by video chat, he says.

On Saturday, the officers spoke again to Williams’ mother, “who told them that a British media team had come to their home the night before, asking to speak to WILLIAMS, who was not present”.

That same day, ITV News, a UK-based vehicle, posted a video on its YouTube page with the title “Revealed: ITV News identifies a protester who broke into the Capitol.” The video identifies “Riley Williams” as a “22-year-old social worker” from Pennsylvania.

The video shows Williams’ mother claiming that her daughter recently became interested in President Donald Trump’s policy and popular message boards among the “far right.”

Williams’ father told police on Saturday that he had driven Williams to DC for the protest, but that the two were not together during the day. He said they returned to Pennsylvania together, according to the statement.

Dozens of people were arrested in connection with the January 6 riot, and federal officials said hundreds could face the charges.

Michael Sherwin, the acting United States attorney for the District of Columbia, noted that it is likely that the relatively minor charges brought at the beginning could be updated as the investigation continues.

Democratic lawmakers asked the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to provide information on whether any foreign powers played a role in exploiting the attack.