A woman accused of stealing a laptop from the office of Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi during the attack on the Capitol will be released, a judge ruled Thursday.
Riley June Williams, 22, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was released on the condition that she was wary of her mother, that she did not travel outside of her home town, and that she appear in federal court in Washington on Monday.
Williams was charged with theft, obstruction and violations, as well as violations and misconduct on Capitol grounds.
At the hearing, Judge Martin Carlson stated that “the seriousness of these irregularities is enormous, there is no other way to express it,” but added that Williams has no criminal record.
According to the FBI, a former Williams partner tipped off authorities that they identified Williams in a video shot amid the chaos that took place on Capitol Hill in Washington. According to the informant, the young woman planned to sell the laptop to the Russian intelligence service.
A video from the riot shows a Williams-esque woman yelling at the crowd “Go up, up!”, Pointing to an upper floor of the legislative palace.
We recommend:
Williams’ attorney, Lori Ulrich, declined to comment on the matter. Williams turned himself in to authorities on Monday and is being held in Harrisburg prison.
Separately, an FBI agent in Virginia alleged that Williams appears on Capitol surveillance video and goes in and out of Pelosi’s office.
The officer said in an affidavit that a cell phone video, apparently from Williams himself, shows the gloved hand of a man lifting an HP laptop from a desk. The video is captioned under ‘You’ve got the laptop’.
Deputy director of Pelosi’s office, Drew Hammill, has reported that a laptop used for presentations was stolen.
A federal prosecutor argued a few days ago that Williams should not be released because she could flee or try to obstruct the investigation.