Riley June Williams, the woman who allegedly stole Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi‘s laptop during the U.S. Capitol riot, was reportedly trying to sell it to Russians, according to Reuters. This information emerged on Sunday night after an affidavit was released detailing the criminal case against Williams, a Pennsylvania resident. Williams has been accused of unlawfully entering the Capitol building and directing other individuals to Pelosi’s office.
An FBI agent reportedly disclosed that Williams was allegedly trying to sell Pelosi’s laptop. Lawmakers have been worried about the theft of their electronic devices following the Jan. 6 siege on the Capitol, which involved a mob of President Donald Trump‘s supporters storming the building as Congress was in the midst of certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. Michael Sherwin, the acting U.S. Attorney General, said after the riot that the thefts of electronic devices from the Capitol might have potentially jeopardized what he described as “national security equities.”
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The affidavit that was filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia noted that an FBI agent received a tip from an individual who claimed that they were a former romantic partner of Williams. The individual claimed 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.” The tipster also said that “the transfer of the computer device to Russia fell through for unknown reasons and Williams still has the computer device or destroyed it.” The investigation is currently open. Reuters noted that Williams could not be reached for comment. The FBI said that Williams appears to have fled her address near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and that she has deactivated her phone number and taken down her social media accounts. Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s spokesperson, did not immediately respond to Reuters‘ request for comment on this report.
As previously mentioned, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 as Congress was certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election, which Joe Biden won. In the days following that incident, the House of Representatives charged the president with “incitement for insurrection” for his involvement in the riot (Trump delivered a series of remarks to his supporters on Jan. 6 shortly before they made their way over to the Capitol). On Jan. 13, Trump was officially impeached for the second time, becoming the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice.
