In a new criminal court case against a woman alleged to have entered the US Capitol on January 6, the FBI noted that a tipster raised the possibility of a laptop being stolen from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office to potentially sell to Russia.
In an arrest warrant filed late Sunday, the federal agency said that it is seeking Riley June Williams on charges related to the breach of Capitol, adding that the feds are also investigating a claim that the woman stole a laptop or hard drive from Pelosi’s office.
There’s no indication in the court record that a laptop was actually taken from Pelosi’s office, though Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, tweeted two days after the attack that there was a laptop stolen that was used for presentations and that was in a conference room.
The FBI says in the court record the “matter remains under investigation.” It’s not known if the two incidents are connected at all, or even if the tipster’s information about a stolen laptop is accurate.
According to the affidavit, a witness, described as a former romantic partner of Williams, dialed the FBI’s telephone tip line, claiming that he saw Williams in video footage taken from inside the US Capitol building.
The caller said that Williams “intended to send the computer device to a friend in Russia, who then planned to sell the device to SVR, Russia’s foreign intelligence service.”
William can be seen taking the laptop in the Videotape
The FBI has reviewed a video report from ITV News, a British television network, in which Williams, wearing a green t-shirt and brown trench coat, is believed to be present.
FBI Agent Jonathan Lund says in the complaint Williams can be seen moving up the stairs that lead to Pelosi’s office and directing other intruders to proceed up by repeatedly yelling “Upstairs, upstairs, upstairs.”.
However, “the transfer of the computer device to Russia fell through for unknown reasons” and Williams “still has the computer device or destroyed it”.
The agency has confirmed with the Capitol police that the staircase depicted in the video leads to Pelosi’s office.
The matter remains under investigation and Williams, who has reportedly fled, is facing separate charges of entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct.
A Justice Department spokeswoman told on Monday that Williams had surrendered to authorities.
According to the local law and enforcement officers in Harrisburg, Williams’ mother said that Williams packed her bags and left saying that she would be gone for few weeks.
Williams did not provide any information to her mother regarding where she was going and also changed her phone number. She has also reportedly deleted her social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Telegram, and Parler.
Williams is not accused of theft. She is only charged with violent entry or disorderly conduct and entering the restricted space of the Capitol, the same charges faced by many who took part in the siege that day.
