FBI Probing Allegation That Woman Stole Laptop From Pelosi’s Office to Sell It to Russia BY ZACHARY STIEBER | January 18, 2021 Updated: January 18, 2021
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating whether a woman seen in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office on Jan. 6 stole a computer or hard drive and planned to sell it to Russia.
The claim was outlined in an affidavit filed in the case against Riley June Williams, a Pennsylvania woman who authorities said stormed the U.S. Capitol earlier this month.
In the days following the breach, a witness called the FBI’s tip line several times. The witness said he or she was a former romantic partner of Williams and saw Williams in video footage captured on Jan. 6.
The caller (W1) also claimed to have spoken to friends of Williams who showed him or her a video of Williams taking a computer or hard drive from Pelosi’s office during the mayhem that day.
“W1 stated 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,” Special Agent Jonathan Lund wrote in the court filing.
“According to W1, the transfer of the computer device to Russia fell through for unknown reasons and WILLIAMS still has the computer device or destroyed it. This matter remains under investigation.”
Pelosi’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Epoch Times Photo
Protesters gather near the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D- Calif.) in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
A spokesman for Pelosi confirmed last week that a laptop was stolen from her office during the breach of the Capitol.
The computer “was only used for presentations,” spokesman Drew Hammill said.
At least one other laptop was stolen from congressional offices on Jan. 6. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said a computer was taken from his office.
U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin told reporters in a recent briefing that people “were literally rifling through Pelosi’s office and stealing items, stealing materials, mail, and sometimes even personal mementos.”
The new affidavit was signed by a judge on Sunday.
Officials say Williams, 22, apparently fled. According to law enforcement officers in Harrisburg, Williams’s mother said her daughter packed a bag and left home, saying she’d be gone for a couple of weeks.
Sometime after Jan. 6, Williams changed her phone number and deleted accounts on social media platforms, including Facebook, Reddit, and Parler.
Williams was charged with illegally entering the Capitol and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Williams didn’t have an attorney listed as of Monday morning.