- Riley June Williams is accused of stealing Nancy Pelosi’s laptop and trying to sell it to Russia.
- The Justice Department accused her of breaking into Capitol, and a new charge was added after a complaint.
- The laptop’s whereabouts are still unknown. An aide to Pelosi said it was used only for presentations.
- Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.
The 22-year-old woman accused of stealing mayor Nancy Pelosi’s laptop and planning to sell it to Russian spies has received new charges that could lead her to spend 20 years in prison.
The Justice Department initially accused Riley June Williams on Sunday of entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct over the January 6 Capitol riot.
But at a court hearing on Tuesday, US Attorney Christian Haughsby also accused Williams of theft of government property and obstruction, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
If Williams is found guilty of these charges, she could be sentenced to 20 years in prison, added The Inquirer.
Haughsby did not say whether Williams plans to sell the laptop to Russia. The FBI had previously said in a deposition on Sunday that a witness identified as Williams’ former romantic partner told authorities that Williams planned to give the laptop to a friend in Russia who would try to sell the device to the country’s intelligence service.
In a Tuesday update to the statement, an unidentified FBI agent said a security tape inside the Capitol showed Williams coming in and out of Pelosi’s office.
The agent added that a person with the username “Riley” posted on the Discord site message board: “I ROUBEI S — DE NANCY POLESI” and “I DOMT CARE TIVE NANCY POLESIS DRIVES RIGIDOS I DONT CARE MATE-ME . “
Screenshots of Discord showing a post by a person named “Riley” on mayor Nancy Pelosi’s laptop.
Department of Justice
The location of the laptop, identified by the FBI agent as a Hewlett-Packard device, remains unknown.
Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, said on January 8 that the laptop was “used only for presentations”.
According to the FBI’s testimony on Sunday, Williams packed up and left his mother’s home in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, some time after the Capitol rebellion and deleted several social media accounts.
Williams was arrested in Pennsylvania on Monday, the DOJ said. CNN said Williams had given himself up.
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The FBI began investigating whether Williams stole the laptop after receiving a report from a person who identified himself as Williams’ former romantic partner.
A pro-Trump crowd seen after breaking into the Capitol building on January 6.
John Minchillo / AP
The person called the FBI and said he had seen a video of Williams carrying the laptop and that he intended to sell it to the Russian intelligence agency, the FBI said.
But the transfer of the laptop to Russia “failed for unknown reasons and Williams still has the computer device or destroyed it,” wrote the FBI in its statement of facts on Sunday and Tuesday, citing the informant’s testimony.
“This matter is still under investigation,” added the FBI.
Williams’ lawyer, Lori J. Ulrich, told The Inquirer, “Many of these allegations are false”, without specifying what allegations she was referring to.
A Trump supporter is sitting inside Pelosi’s office during the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
In the footage of the January 6 riot captured by Britain’s ITV News, Williams appeared to be one of the protesters guiding others towards Pelosi’s office, indicating that she may have been instrumental in organizing the attack.
The FBI said a woman wearing a green shirt and a brown overcoat and carrying a zebra print bag over her shoulders appeared to be Williams.
Williams’s mother told ITV News in a subsequent interview that her daughter was involved in “far-right forums” and often attended “rallies” about “wishing America the right information.”
Williams’ next hearing is scheduled for January 21.
She graduated from the Mechanicsburg Area Senior High in 2017 and worked for the health agency Keystone Human Services, said the Inquirer. The company has since laid off Williams, ABC 27 reported on Tuesday.