Who is Riley Williams? Pennsylvania woman allegedly robbed laptop from Nancy Pelosi's office to sell to Russians
A 22-year-old woman from Pennsylvania who was seen during the failed insurrection attempt at the US Capitol building on January 6th, apparently directing rioters to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office is under investigation by the FBI on allegations that she may have stolen a laptop or a hard drive from Pelosi's office with the intention of selling it to Russian intelligence services.
Riley June Williams was identified by ITV News as a Pennsylvania-based care worker after a video from the riots emerged showing her apparently directing other rioters, saying, "up the stairs, up the stairs." Her parents, however, claimed that Williams was a peaceful protestor, according to ITV News, and that she was lost in the crowd.
Her mother, Wendy Williams told the publication, "She's definitely not a leader. I just think, I know there was another woman beside her also doing it, I think she was like ’they’re letting us up, they’re letting us up, let’s go'. She’s a 22-year-old who, like I said, is very empathetic and loving."
Her mother also claimed that Williams goes to rallies, however, the pair avoided discussing politics since the latter started associating with far-right politics, adding that she was shocked to see her daughter inside the US Capitol. ITV News reports that Williams had attended several pro-Trump rallies and had become a vocal figure in some far-right forums.
Riley Williams, 22, from Pennsylvania stormed the buildings during the Washington DC siege. She attracted attention after she was filmed directing rioters “up the stairs, up the stairs”. pic.twitter.com/IrTBy75tvK
— Cleavon MD (@Cleavon_MD) January 18, 2021
Williams' father, who declined to be identified, said that he took her to the rally with two family friends to simply "witness the spectacle," and claimed that she became separated from them during the afternoon of the riots. He said that she was simply "going with the flow" and had no intention of joining the violence.
However, Williams has since fled the home she shares with her mother, without disclosing where she was going. Williams' mother said that her daughter had not been contacted by the FBI or police investigators and had no intention of handing herself in.
A report by Politico that had been published since stated that Williams is now under the investigation of the FBI. An affidavit filed by the FBI detailing the criminal complaint against Williams states that an unnamed witness phoned in a tip to the FBI regarding Williams' activities on the day of the riots. According to the witness, Williams took "a laptop computer or hard drive" from Pelosi's office and that Williams intended to sell the computer device to a friend in Russia.
The plan was then for the friend in Russia to sell the device to SVR, Russia's foreign intelligence service. The witness also told the FBI that the transfer of the device fell through for unknown reasons and that Williams was either still in possession of it or had destroyed it. According to the affidavit, the matter is still under investigation.
The affidavit also states that Williams changed her phone number after the riots and deleted her social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Telegram, and Parler. The complaint seeks to charge Williams for "knowingly enter or remain in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority to do so" and "knowingly, and with intent to impede or disrupt the orderly conduct of government business or official functions, engage in disorderly or disruptive conduct in, or within such proximity to, any restricted building or grounds when, or so that, such conduct, in fact, impedes or disrupts the orderly conduct of Government business or official functions or attempts or conspires to do so."
The affidavit also seeks to file charges against Williams for "willfully and knowingly (D) utter loud, threatening, or abusive language, or engage in disorderly or disruptive conduct, at any place in the Grounds or in any of the Capitol Buildings with the intent to impede, disrupt, or disturb the orderly conduct of a session of Congress or either House of Congress, or the orderly conduct in that building of a hearing before, or any deliberations of, a committee of Congress or either House of Congress," and "parade, demonstrate, or picket in any of the Capitol Buildings."