Woman who allegedly stole laptop from Pelosi’s office to sell to Russia is arrested.
A woman accused of breaching the Capitol and planning to sell to Russia a laptop or hard drive she allegedly stole from Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office was arrested in Pennsylvania’s Middle District Monday, the Department of Justice said.
Riley June Williams, 22, is charged with illegally entering the Capitol as well as violent entry and disorderly conduct. She has not been charged over the laptop allegation and the case remains under investigation, per the DOJ.
Video footage appears to show Williams entering the Capitol with other rioters on Jan. 6. She appears to direct them up a staircase in the building.
- Following the siege, a person called the FBI tip line to identify Williams and claimed that she told them she planned to send the computer device to a friend in Russia, per a DOJ statement of fact. It’s alleged the friend planned to then sell it to Russia’s foreign intelligence service.
- The caller said the transfer fell through and alleged that Williams either still has the device or destroyed it.
Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff confirmed the laptop’s disappearance on Jan. 8 but said it was “only used for presentations.”
Williams had developed a sudden interest in President Trump’s politics and “far-right message boards,” her mother told ITV Newson Jan. 16.
- Her mother said her daughter fled after the insurrection.
- Williams also deleted her social media accounts and changed her phone number, according to FBI officials.