An alleged Capitol rioters accused by a former partner of stealing a laptop or hard drive from Nancy Pelosi’s office has surrendered to authorities, two sources confirm to CBS News. Riley Williams’ former partner told authorities she intended to give the device to a friend who would sell it to Russia’s foreign intelligence agency, a claim the authorities are investigating but have not yet confirmed.
Williams’ former romantic partner called the FBI several times in the days following the riot to report seeing her in videos in the Capitol, according to court documents. The partner, called Witness 1, reportedly said that friends of Williams showed them a video in which she took a laptop or hard drive from Speaker Pelosi’s office during the riots.
The witness told the FBI that Williams “planned to send the computer device to a friend in Russia, who then planned to sell the device to SVR, Russia’s foreign intelligence agency.” But the witness also said the plan “failed for unknown reasons,” adding that Williams still has the device or that she destroyed it.
The complaint does not provide additional evidence to support the theft allegations, but says the claim is “still under investigation.”
FBI
According to court documents, Williams appears in footage of the attack on the Capitol on several occasions, including through a staircase near Pelosi’s office. She is currently not facing any charges of theft, and is instead charged with “knowingly entering or staying in any restricted building or property without legal authority and violent entry and disorderly conduct within the Capitol grounds.”
Williams’ father told Harrisburg police on Jan. 16 that he and his daughter had traveled to Washington, DC together to attend the protests, according to the documents. But he said the couple did not stay together during the day, according to the complaint.
On the same day, Williams’ mother told investigators that her daughter had recently expressed interest in President Trump and “ far-right message boards, ” the complaint said.
The Justice Department confirmed on its website that Williams was arrested in Pennsylvania on Monday night.
Clare Hymes and Andres Triay contributed to the reporting.